An Accra High Court on Friday began hearing in camera the case of three crew members involved in the 414 slabs of cocaine seized by security agencies on country�s high seas last year.
The three had earlier pleaded guilty with explanation but the court, after a careful perusal of their explanation by the court a plea of not guilty was entered for them.
They are Percival Junior Court, a Guyanese engineer, Samuel Montey and Singh Primchand both seamen. At today's sitting Mr Asiamah Sampong, Principal State Attorney made the application that the evidence which was to be given centered on the security of the state.
The court presided over by Mr C.J. Hoenoegah granted the application.
Meanwhile two lawyers have told the court that they were going to represent the accused persons and would need to study the proceedings. According to the lawyers they would also have to inform those who contacted them that they (lawyers) have located the accused persons.
Miller Ronald O�Neil, the captain of the vessel known as Atiyah Ex-Alisam had been sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on each count while Seth Grant a seaman and the only Ghanaian among them was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment on each count. The sentences are to run concurrently.
The five accused persons were held for engaging in criminal conspiracy, importation of narcotics without lawful authority and possession of narcotic drugs.
The 414 slabs of cocaine is said to be with a street value of 60 million dollars have been destroyed following an order from the Court.
Mr Sampong said in the third week of November last year, the Narcotics Control Board received information concerning the suspicious movement of a vessel by name Atiyah Ex-Alisam, with registration number 000471, which was heading towards Ghana loaded with illicit drugs.
According to the information, the vessel was from British Guyana -George Town. Prosecution said security agencies including the Ghana Navy, the Police, National Security and Ghana Marine were, therefore, alerted.
According to Mr Sampong on November 19, the security agencies, in collaboration with Western Naval Base in Takoradi, intercepted the vessel on Ghana�s waters. A search on the vessel revealed 21 fertilizer sacks smeared with engine oil containing 414 slabs of compressed substances.
A field test conducted showed that the substance was cocaine.
Prosecution said O�Neil, the captain, said the drugs were to be delivered in Ghana but they could not mention the name of the recipient adding that he had the contact of the recipient.
According to O�Neil, the drugs were to be delivered on the high seas for a fee of 50,000 dollars while the rest of the crew was to take various sums of monies.
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