A Circuit Court in Tema has sentenced two police officers to a combined total of 13 years in prison for unlawful possession and conspiracy to traffic narcotic substances.
The officers—Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Nasiru Amadu, 48, and Corporal Emmanuel Mintah, 43—were convicted by Her Ladyship Aleanor Kakra Barnes Botchway after nearly four years of trial. At the time of the incident, Amadu was the second-in-command at the Sakumono District Police Headquarters, and Mintah served as his service driver.
Details of the Arrest
The prosecution, led by ASP Ernest Kuofie, presented evidence dating back to November 19, 2023. Acting on intelligence regarding a Nissan Navara (registration number GP 727) transporting narcotics from Ho to Accra, officers on snap-check duty intercepted the vehicle at approximately 7:15 p.m.
A search of the official police vehicle uncovered eight sacks containing 541 compressed parcels of substances, later confirmed by the Forensic Crime Laboratory to be narcotics.
Conspiracy and Motive
Investigations revealed that Corporal Mintah had been contracted by a relative, known as “Oluman”—a resident of Ashaiman Tulaku and a known narcotics dealer—to transport Indian hemp from Peki Tsibu in the Volta Region to Tulaku. Mintah then contacted ASP Amadu, who finalized the arrangement with “Oluman.”
The two officers drove the police vehicle from Sakumono to a forest near Peki Tsibu, where they received the drugs from a Benz bus. They were arrested on their return journey to Accra. Evidence showed this was the second time the officers had engaged in such an operation.
The Verdict and Sentence
The court ruled that the officers unlawfully possessed narcotics for trafficking, in violation of 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 was sentenced to 10 years.
- Corporal Mintah was sentenced to 5 years.
The sentences are set to run concurrently. Additionally, both officers were ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 penalty units (GH¢120,000) each, or in default, serve an additional three years in prison.
