COCAINE: 4 HELD (PAGE 65)

FOUR people have been arrested for allegedly transporting substances suspected to be cocaine. concealed some of it in a rice bag, and They got the rest stuffed in between well-packed cartons of beverages.
The suspects were arrested after they were alleged to have attempted to outsmart the police at various checkpoints in the Western Region.
Two of the suspects, Edward Quansah and Hafiz Adams, were arrested at Apimanim and Takoradi respectively, while the other two, Abdulai Farouk and Hawa Afizi, were arrested when they boldly walked to the regional police command and attempted to bribe the arresting officer with GH¢10,000.
The officer accepted the bribe and afterward ordered their arrest and matched them to the office of the regional commander.
The cocaine and other highly prohibited drugs were well-compressed between tins of milk and Milo while a five kilogramme rice bag was emptied and the content replaced with the drugs.
The Western Regional Police Commander, Mr Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, told the press after the arrest that the “Operation Stop and Check”, which took place in two separate locations, discovered the new tricks that had been adopted by the smugglers.
He said a team of policemen from the regional motor traffic unit at Sekondi on duty at Apimanim intercepted well-packed cartons of beverages made up of 198 tins of milk and 24 tins of Milo.
He said when the owner, Edward Quansah, was asked to produce receipt for the items, he failed.
The suspect was then marched to the Agona-Nkwanta Police Station where the sacks containing the items were cut open and the police found white rocky substances, 29 wrapped silver foils containing a powdery substance and 141 transparent sachets also containing a powdery substance, all suspected to be cocaine. The sack also contained unspecified amount of money in Ghana cedis, dollars and pounds.
The commander said Quansah then pulled out money to bribe the police and later asked them to take the items and all the monies on him and allow him to go free.
He said the other suspect, Hafiz, was arrested at Takoradi and the keys to his VW Golf, with registration number W R150 Z, seized. He denied involvement in any drug-related business upon interrogation at the spot.
Mr Alhassan said when a search was conducted on the vehicle, a five kilogramme bag originally containing rice was found and upon careful examination the content turned out to be a substance suspected to be narcotics.
“One of the ball-shaped contents was cut open in his presence, and it contained 18 thumb-sized capsules of whitish substances and four transparent sachets containing medium-sized quantities of brownish substances, all suspected to be narcotic drugs,” he added.
He said while investigations were ongoing the other two suspects, Hawa and Farouk, who claimed to be the wife and brother, respectively.
Adams, went to the station with a bribe of GH¢ 7,000 to influence officials to release him.
“The officer accepted the money and later caused their arrest subsequently charging them for the offence of giving bribe to influence a public officer,” he said.
The regional commander commended his men for the display of professionalism.