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Eleven people have been arrested by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) officials for their alleged involvement in the shipment of 250 kilogrammes of marijuana or Indian hemp to the United Kingdom. Those arrested include: Mr Sam Yeboah, Manager of Ghana Perishable Cargo Centre; Edmund Mensah Essilfie and Joel Osei Boateng, both freight forwarders of the ESS Foray Ventures. The names of the other suspects were not given for security reasons. The parcels of marijuana were found concealed in 10 boxes containing yams at Heathrow Airport. The discovery of the drugs at Heathrow Airport sparked a serious controversy between the NACOB and Air Ghana, operators of the Ghana Perishable Cargo Centre, shippers of the boxes that were found to contain the marijuana. According to the Executive Secretary of the NACOB, Mr Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, following the discovery of the drugs, TV3 aired a story that the NACOB had placed a temporary ban on non-traditional exports from Ghana. Denying the TV3 story, he stressed that NACOB did not have the mandate to give such a directive. Besides, it had not locked any gate or prevented exporters from carrying out their duty. He explained that there were three major companies handling cargo at the airport, which are: Aviance, Air Ghana and Menzies. Mr Akrasi Sarpong said in 2008 the government installed a central scanner at the cargo village and all exports were expected to go through it with the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and NACOB certifying them before export. The executive secretary indicated that Civil Aviation owned a scanner but goods still went through the central scanner, while Menzies used the central scanner because it did not have a scanner. Along the line, Air Ghana installed its own scanner and refused to use the central scanner, arguing that its scanner was better than the central one and after a series of discussions, it was agreed that Air Ghana should use its scanner for the time being so security personnel were placed there. Barely a year after using its own scanner, drugs had been found in yams the company sent to the UK. Air Ghana has a holding village where it keeps goods before airlifting them. Mr Akrasi Sarpong said on that fateful day, the goods went through the scanner under the watchful eyes of CEPS and NACOB officials who signed the relevant documents but the boxes were altered at the holding village before being airlifted. The drugs were found at Heathrow by British security officials and preliminary investigations led to the arrest of the two freight forwarders who handled the cargo. The executive secretary said investigations were ongoing but henceforth all cargo from Air Ghana would go through the central scanner. �We don�t want surprises like this anymore, after using their own scanner they have to go through the central scanner before the goods are sent out of the country�. Those arrested have been placed in custody at the BNI cells to assist in investigations into the issue.