Kofi Mintah(left) and Aziz Sulemana
Two drug dealers, Aziz Sulemana, 35, from Sunyani and Kofi Mintah, 29, alias Nana Adu from Chiraa in the Brong Ahafo Region, have been sentenced to a total of 24 years’ imprisonment in hard labour by a Sunyani Circuit Court for dealing in narcotics.
The prosecutor, Michael Baafi, a State Attorney from the Attorney General’s Department, told the Sunyani Circuit Court (A), presided over by Her Ladyship Joan Ayi King, that the second convict, Kofi Mintah, who resides at Chiraa in the Sunyani West District, was seen by someone buying 24 wrappers of a whitish substance suspected to be cocaine from a known cocaine dealer at Sunyani Zongo.
The informant gave the police information after he (Kofi) boarded car to Chiraa on 30th June, 2015.
The police, acting on the information, arrested Kofi when he arrived at Chiraa.
A search conducted on him revealed 24 wrappers of the whitish substance.
During interrogation, he said he bought the substance from Aziz Sulemana at Sunyani Zongo at the cost of GH¢120.
Kofi led the police to Aziz’s place and he was subsequently arrested.
A search conducted in his room revealed similar substances concealed in a white sack and cash of GH¢295 believed to be proceeds from sale of the drugs.
Aziz told the police during interrogation that he usually gets the consignment from one Abudu in Accra, but did not know where the said Abudu stays in Accra.
He said Abudu always brings him the goods in Sunyani when they are in short supply.
They were both detained and slapped with charges of possession of narcotic drugs without lawful authority, supply of narcotic drugs without lawful authority and use of narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
The case was transferred to the regional Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service for investigation that could lead to the arrest of the supplier- Abudu.
The two convicts appeared before court on 2nd July, 2015 on the above charges.
They pleaded not guilty, but their pleas were not taken so were remanded into prison custody to reappear on 17th July, 2015.
Giving judgment, Joan Ayi King, said she sentenced them to serve as deterrent to others.
Kofi was slapped with a 10-year jail term with hard labour, while Aziz was also sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment with hard labour on one count and another 14 years on another count for engaging in narcotic business. The sentences are to run concurrently.
She said she took into consideration the high rate of armed robbery in the country, adding that this would serve as deterrent to others.
From Daniel Y Dayee, Sunyani