Four Guyanese and a Ghanaian national, who made up the crew of the MV ATIYAH that was detained with 400 kilos (880 pounds) of cocaine in Ghana’s waters on Tuesday, yesterday pleaded guilty charges including importation of narcotics.
The Ghana News Agency (GNA) yesterday identified the men as captain Miller Ronald O’Neil, engineer Percival Junior Cort and seamen
Samuel Monty and Singh Primchand and Seth Grant. Grant was identified as a native Ghanaian, according to media reports out of Accra.
The five accused persons, facing charges of engaging in criminal conspiracy, importation of narcotics without lawful authority and possession of narcotic drugs, pleaded guilty when they appeared before an Accra High Court, according to the GNA report.
It said the accused, who claimed that they could not afford the services of lawyers, were remanded into custody until December 13 by Justice C.J Hoenoeyega, a Court of Appeal Judge sitting with additional responsibility as a High Court Judge.
On the next court date, they are expected to deliver their explanation pending conviction by the court. Prosecutor Asiamah Sampong, a Principal State Attorney, was reported by the GNA as telling the court that the Narcotics Control Board had received information concerning the suspicious movement of the vessel, originating from Guyana, which was heading towards Ghana loaded with illicit drugs.
As a result, the security agencies, including the Ghana Navy, the Police, National Security and Ghana Marine were alerted.
According to Sampong, on November 19, the security agencies, in collaboration with Western Naval Base in Takoradi, intercepted the vessel on Ghana’s waters and a search of it revealed 21 fertilizer sacks smeared with engine oil containing 414 slabs of compressed substances. A field test conducted indicated that the substances were cocaine.
The prosecutor said O’Neil, the captain, said the drugs were to be delivered in Ghana but they could not mention the name of the recipient although he had the contact of the recipient.
According to O’Neil, the drugs were to be delivered on the high seas for a fee of 50,000 dollars while the rest of the crew was to take various sums of monies.
The prosecutor also said that investigations were ongoing as the cocaine had been forwarded to the Ghana Standards Authority for analytical examination, the GNA report said.
