Two police officers jailed 13 years for trafficking narcotics
Two police officers have been sentenced to a total of 13 years in prison for unlawful possession of narcotics and conspiracy to traffic the substances by a Circuit Court in Tema.
Presided over by Her Lordship Aleanor Kakra Barnes Botchway, the court convicted Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Nasiru Amadu and Corporal Emmanuel Mintah after nearly four years of proceedings.
According to the prosecutor, ASP Ernest Kuofie, the case began in 2023 when an officer at the Afienya District Police Command reported suspicious activities involving the two officers.
At the time, Amadu, 48, was the second-in-command at the Sakumono District Police Headquarters, while Mintah, 43, worked under him as a service driver.
On November 19, 2023, officers on snap-check duty received intelligence that a Nissan Navara with registration number GP 727 was transporting narcotics from Ho to Accra.
At about 7:15 p.m., the two officers arrived at the checkpoint and were stopped.
A search of their vehicle revealed eight sacks containing 541 compressed parcels of suspected narcotics.
Investigations later showed that Mintah had a relative known as “Oluman,” a resident of Ashaiman Tulaku and a known narcotics dealer.
On the day of the incident, Mintah was hired by Oluman to transport Indian hemp from Peki Tsibu in the Volta Region to Tulaku.
Mintah then involved Amadu, who also spoke with Oluman to finalize the arrangement.
The officers subsequently drove vehicle GP 727 from Sakumono to a forest near Peki Tsibu, where they collected the drugs from a waiting Benz bus.
They were arrested while transporting the substances, and it was later revealed that this was their second time engaging in such illegal activity.
The seized items were examined and confirmed by the Forensic Crime Laboratory.
The court ruled that the officers unlawfully possessed narcotics for trafficking, violating Section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, and Section 37(2)(b) of the Narcotic Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019).
ASP Amadu and Corporal Mintah were sentenced to 10 years and 5 years in prison respectively, to run concurrently. They were also fined 10,000 penalty units (GH₵120,000).
If they fail to pay the fine, they will each serve an additional three years in prison.