An Accra Fast Track high court (criminal Division) has thrown out the bail application filed by lawyers of the 46-year-old businessman arrested for allegedly exporting 6,240kg of cannabis sativa (wee), a narcotic drug, worth $20m to the United Kingdom.
Kwame Boafo Akuffo, lead counsel for the accused, Kofi Appianin Ennin, had filed for bail at the court pending the determination of the case.
The accused was arrested through the collaborative efforts of the UK security agencies and Ghana’s Narcotic Control Boar (NACOB) when he successfully left the shores of Ghana for that country.
Ennin is facing a twocount charge of exportation of narcotic drug without licence from the minister of health and possession of narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
According to the prosecution led by Fred K. Awindago, an assistant state attorney, Ennin between January 15 and 29, 2014, at the Takoradi Harbour, exported from Ghana to the UK, 6,240kg of the drug without licence.
It also alleged that between January 15 and February 10, 2015 the accused, through the same harbor, exported three tonnes (3,000kgs) of the drug to the same country without licence. Ennin has however, denied the offence.
At the hearing of the case, Justice Abdullai Iddrisu yesterday, the request for bail by the defense counsel was.
Throwing out the bail application, the trial judge stated that the defence counsel could repeat it (application) in the course of the trial.
Mr. Boafo Akuffo, who had at the previous sitting drawn the attention of the court to the ill-health of his client, prayed the court to remand his client at the Nsawam Prisons instead of the cells of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), a request the court granted.
The trial judge accordingly adjourned hearing until July 9, 2015.
NACOB in 2014 received intelligence report from the UK indicating that a 20-footer container numbered: MSCU 0186777 had been intercepted.
The prosecution said the container was supposed to be carrying 112 sacks of gar but the sacks were stuffed with compressed substance suspected to be cannabis sativa, weighing 6,240kg.
The recipient of the said container mentioned the Ennin as the one who exported the said cargo.
The prosecution said between January 15 and February 10, 2015 whilst investigations were underway, another 40-footer container numbered MORU: 1114371, was intercepted at Gatwick, London, adding that the said container had 1,000 cartons of yam, 53 bags of gari and a total of 3,000kgs of compressed substance believed to be wee, concealed in the boxes of yam.
He stated that documents covering the shipment were received and the freight forwarder in Ghana was contacted who mentioned Ennin as the one who assigned him (freight forwarder to do the exportation on his (Ennin’s) behalf.
The prosecution said the freight forwarder led the investigator to the warehouse of Ennin at Asheyei along the Accra-Dodowa road where the packaging of the export was carried out. He was subsequently nabbed.
Upon interrogation, Ennin mentioned one Jay as the owner of the substance
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