Patrick Osei Agyemang, alias Countryman Songo, a popular sports presenter at Asempa FM, an Accra-based private radio station, and Bismark Selorm Brown, a presenter at ETV Ghana and Happy FM, who were allegedly caught with substances suspected to be Indian hemp, popularly called wee, were yesterday charged with using narcotic drugs without lawful authority
Franklin Ayensu, a banker, was also charged along with them.
The accused persons are being tried at an Accra Fast Track High Court presided over by Justice P. Ofori-Atta and have pleaded not guilty to the offence.
They are on a GH�10,000 bail each with a surety granted last week by the trial judge at their first appearance.
The prosecuting state attorney in the case, Essiamah Asampong, who read the facts, said Countryman Songo was a radio presenter and Selorm Brown was a morning show host while Franklin Ayensu was a banker.
He said in November 2011, the Nima District Police, in an attempt to clamp down on activities of narcotic suspects, embarked on a swoop around the North Ridge area.
According to prosecutor, the accused persons were arrested after the police found half-smoked substances suspected to be wee on them.
The state attorney said a search in Countryman Songo�s Hyundai saloon car revealed the half-smoked substances and upon interrogation, he told the police that his car was sent to a mechanic and was there for a couple of days.
Mr. Asampong said the radio presenter said he did not know who put the half-smoked substances there.
The prosecutor noted that the substances had been sent for analytical examination.
The judge adjourned the case to January 20, 2012.
The accused persons were represented by Victor Kwadwoga Adawudu and Kofi Owusu Ansah.
The accused persons were put before the same court last week but the matter could not be heard because there was no state attorney to prosecute the case.
The facts before the trial judge were about the quantity found on the presenters and the circumstances leading to their arrest.
They were taken to court by police investigators and due to the fact that there was no prosecuting attorney, their pleas were not taken.
It would be recalled that the police arrested the suspects in a swoop at North Ridge, near the Alisa Hotel in Accra, with some substances suspected to be marijuana found on them.
The suspects were initially taken to the Nima Police Station and later sent to the Police Headquarters where their urine was tested after which they were hauled to court.
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