By Desire Emmanuel, with Agency Reports
A Nigerian who transported cocaine and Indian hemp from Nigeria to Ghana has been arrested by operatives of the country’s police after he attempted to bribe them with $20,000.
According to report by The Ghana Chronicle, the man, Charles Adekunle, aged 46 years, was arrested on Wednesday, January 21, by the operatives attached to the Volta Regional command when they intercepted a Nigerian-registered vehicle carrying the drugs said to be worth over one million Cedis.
It was gathered that the black Liberty Jeep driven by the man and registered in Nigeria (FKJ692KF), was stopped at Kpotame barrier between Ada Junction in Greater Accra Region and Sogakope, the South Tongu Municipal capital.
When the vehicle was searched, ten parcels of compressed substances suspected to be cocaine along with about half a kilogramme of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp hidden behind the vehicle’s inner lining were recovered.
As he discovered that the game was up for him, he was said to have offered the officers $20,000 as bribe to free him from the grip of the law, but the offer was rejected outright.
According to a senior police source at the Volta Regional Police Headquarters, the operation was carried out following intelligence reports gathered by them.
The Volta Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Wisdom Akorli, upon the receipt of the intelligence information, mobilised a joint taskforce comprising officials from the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID), the Drug Law Enforcement Unit (DLEU), and personnel from the Regional Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to intercept the vehicle.
Around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, the vehicle pulled up at the barrier and was signalled to stop while a search led to the discovery of the illicit drugs.
“The suspect remains in custody as investigations continue, while the Liberty Jeep has been impounded at the Volta Regional Police Headquarters in Ho. The seized substances will be sent to the forensic laboratory for further analysis,” Ghana Police said on Friday, January 23.
