Ghana: I Was Told We Were Going to Buy Engine Parts

January 18, 2007
Florence Gbolu

The prosecution of six persons being held on drug-related charges, yesterday witnessed a new twist when one of the prosecution witnesses, James Kingsley Nkoom, a Cook on the MV Benjamin vessel told an Accra Fast Track High Court that he and others were given orders to offload some packages in a waiting boat into the vessel on the high seas.
The witness told the court that he only became aware of the content to be cocaine when the vessel anchored on the break waters of the Tema Port. According to him this was after he had asked the Chief Engineer what the content of the packages were.
Explaining how they got to carry the said 77 parcels of cocaine into the country, witness indicated that he was called back onto the vessel by the third accused person Isaac Arhin to Takoradi, after he had left to mourn his dead wife.
He informed the court that on arrival at Takoradi Harbour on March 7 2006, he saw Isaac Arhin, Philip Kobina Bruce Arhin, Cui Xian Li, chipping and painting the vessel.

According to him, the next day after the captain and chief engineer had come to have their meals they were informed that the vessel was going for testing at Tema, where some engine parts would be purchased as well.
Continuing, Nkoom told the court presided over by Mr. Justice Anin Yeboah that after two weeks of sailing he went to enquire from the chief engineer where they were heading toward, since they were not in Tema but was told they were going to buy engine parts.
He informed the court further that a few days later, a boat stopped by their vessel (MV Benjamin) and they were instructed to offload some items in it into the vessel.
According to witness he asked Isaac Arhin the content and quantity of the items but he only told him of the quantity, which was 77 and not the content.
Witness told the court further that it took the vessel three weeks to get to the breakwaters of Tema where they laid anchor at about 1:30 a.m.
Witness, who disclosed that he went to sleep after the vessel had laid anchor, informed the court that he heard an unusual sound in the vessel, which he woke up to see.
According to him, he saw two canoes, one parked by the side of the vessel and the other going round the vessel with three persons, including the chief engineer and captain of the vessel armed with guns.
Additionally, witness averred that the parked canoe was being loaded with the packages they had gone to bring from the high seas.
Continuing, witness informed the court that it was upon enquiry from the chief engineer, while having his meal with the Captain that he got to know the content of the packages to be cocaine, adding that the chief engineer told him he was leaving for town to get more food into the vessel and would be back to take them to the main harbour.
The six, Joseph Kojo Dawson 34, Pak Bok Sil 46, Isaac Arhin 49, Philip Kobina Bruce Arhin 47, Cui Xian Li, 44 and Luo Jin Xing, 49 years of age are facing four various charges of narcotic drugs.
The accused persons, three Ghanaians, two Chinese and a Korean, are facing charges of use of property for narcotic offences, prohibited business relating to narcotics and possession of narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
The particulars of offence against the accused persons state that in February 2006 at Tema in the Greater Accra Region, indirectly without lawful authority and with the intention of facilitating an activity for the purpose of promoting an enterprise relating to narcotic drugs did allow one Asem Darkei (a.k.a. Sheriff) to use his vessel MV Benjamin to import 77 parcels each containing 30kg of cocaine into the county without license by the Minister of health.
Other particulars of offense are that the accused person, on December 15 and February 10 respectively without lawful authority did undertake an activity for the purpose of promoting an enterprise relating to narcotic drugs by repairing the MV Benjamin (a.k.a. Adede II) in readiness for use to sail from Takoradi to the high seas to convey 77 parcel each containing about 30 kg of cocaine to Tema.

he remaining are that without lawful authority the accused persons undertook an activity on April 27, this year at Tema and on the vessel MV Benjamin (a.k.a. Adede II) had in their possession without lawful authority one parcel containing thirty slabs of cocaine, each weighing about 1kg.
The witness went on to inform the court that at about 6 a.m. the next morning he saw a naval boat surround the vessel with Isaac Arhin coming to tell him them that the Navy officials wanted to see them.
The Navy official, according to witness, searched them and took them to the Fishing Harbour where the Narcotic Control Board (NACOB) officials were waiting, witness noted.