65 YEAR OLD WEE PEDLER NABBED (PAGE 31)

29/04/2008
Story: Mary Mensah
A 65-year-old man has been arrested by the Highway Patrol Team of the Ghana Police Service for possessing 14 large parcels of substances suspected to be Indian hemp.
The suspect, Nathaniel Adjetey Okine, was arrested on the Asesewa-Odumasi highway when he emerged from the bush carrying a huge bag loaded with the 14 parcels to board an Accra-bound vehicle.
According to the Public Relations Officer(PRO) of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Inspector Joseph Darkwa, on April 27, 2008 while on their usual patrol duties along the Asesewa highway, the team spotted a bus with some passengers on board.
He said the vehicle had stopped by the side of the road to pick more passengers and Okine emerged from the bush carrying a big bag popularly referred to as “Ghana Must Go” and a black plastic bag.
He said the suspect rushed to board the vehicle with the two bags.
Inspector Darkwa said when the policemen questioned Okine about the contents of the bags, he dropped them and tried to escape into the bush, but he was pursued and arrested.
When the two bags were searched, 14 parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp were found.
The PRO said Okine was brought to the CID headquarters and handed over to the Organised Crime Unit for further investigations.
Upon interrogation, Okine admitted ownership of the leaves and said he bought them from a certain woman at a village near Odumasi, to be sold in Accra.
He said the police had intensified investigations to arrest the woman. Meanwhile the 14 parcels have been forwarded to the forensic laboratory for analysis.
Okine has been arraigned before the Regional Tribunal in Accra and remanded in custody to reappear on May 22, 2008.