Labourer fined GH¢120,000 for possessing and selling cannabis and tramadol

In Tarkwa, Ghana, a 20-year-old labourer named Kojo Sah Nkrumah has been heavily fined GH¢120,000 for his involvement in the possession and sale of cannabis and tramadol. Nkrumah stood before the Tarkwa Circuit Court, where he pleaded guilty to two counts of selling narcotic drugs without the necessary legal permissions.

The court, presided over by Judge Ms Bernice Mensimah Ackon, handed down a sentence of three years in prison for Nkrumah, should he fail to pay the significant fine. The conviction came following a guilty plea presented by Nkrumah himself, who was tried by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Samuel Ahiabor.

The prosecution's case was built on a series of events that began around 0130 hours on January 21, 2025, during a routine night patrol by police officers from the Western Central Regional Formed Police Unit (RFPU) Base in Tarkwa. These officers extended their patrol to Tarkwa Railway Station, where they encountered Nkrumah seated under a shed while selling substances suspected to be narcotics.

Upon discovering Nkrumah, the officers searched his possession and found 81 wrapped pieces of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis, seven sachets of tramadol, and GH¢240 - believed to be earnings from the sale of these substances. The seized materials were then handed over to the Tarkwa Police Station before being sent to the Forensic Crime Laboratory in Accra for analysis.

The lab results, received on May 13, 2025, confirmed that the plant material contained delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound that makes cannabis illegal. The conclusive evidence led to Nkrumah's conviction and the subsequent sentencing on the matter.