Kwabenya Court denies bail to six accused in alleged 3.9-tonne cocaine shipment

The Kwabenya Circuit Court has denied bail to six individuals accused of their involvement in a shipment of approximately 3.9 tonnes of suspected cocaine from Ghana to France. The court's presiding judge, His Honour Prince Osei Owusu, ruled that the six accused persons should remain in custody due to the gravity of the alleged offense.

The decision came after the accused renewed their bail applications, with their lawyers asserting that the defendants had cooperated with investigators and were prepared to stand trial. The defense also highlighted alleged health issues of some of the defendants, requesting the court to consider granting bail pending the trial. Among the six accused are Francis Narh Amanor, alleged to be the exporter, and Frank Adu-Boahen, the alleged owner of the goods.

The remaining four — Togbe Agbeti, Andrews Tetteh Amponsah, Daniel Laryea, and Helena Akua Denkyi — are staff members of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), accused of involvement in the scanning of the containers at Tema Port. Prosecutors claim that customs officials detected irregularities in the scans but failed to report them before the containers were cleared for export.

The containers were eventually seized in France, containing roughly 3.9 tonnes of potentially cocaine. The judge's ruling also took into account whether the accused would appear for trial and whether their release could interfere with the proceedings.