Daniel Agbeko, a trader who was arrested at the Kotoko International Airport (KIA) with methamphetamine, a narcotic, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment and hard labor by an Accra High Court.

The convict had hidden the hard drug in two frames to avoid detection, but Narcotics Control Commission officers stationed in the Aviance Cargo section of the airport, on routine screening of Aramex mail packages, intercepted the package bound for Sydney, Australia under suspicion.

The package was carefully examined and found to contain two (2) photo frames filled with whitish crystalline substances suspected to be narcotics.

A field drug test tested positive for methamphetamine, a narcotic.

On the same day, a team of investigators contacted the Aramex office and informed them about the package to help trace the sender.

On June 23, 2022, the staff of the Commission, in collaboration with Aramex officials, attracted to the Aramex Office the accused who gave the name of his shipper at the time as Abraham Fosu.

Daniel Agbeko was identified to officers of the Commission and was later arrested.

A court document indicated that the convict during investigations admitted to being the owner of the package and its contents and stated in his cautionary statement that he received the said picture frame from his Nigerian partner named John Emeka.

He also said his real name is Daniel Agbeko but decided to use Abraham Fosu’s passport to hide his real identity.

When his Ghanaian passport was inspected, it matched the real name he gave to the police – Daniel Agbeko.

Daniel Agbeko was charged with four separate counts of conspiracy to import narcotic drugs into Ghana, importing narcotic drugs into Ghana, attempting to export narcotic drugs without a license and possession of narcotic drugs without a license.

He pleaded not guilty to all four charges, but the prosecution at the close of the case brought evidence to prove him guilty.

Justice Marrie Louise-Simmons, the trial judge after finding Daniel Agbeko guilty of all charges, convicted and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment for hard labor on all four charges to run concurrently.

The court also fined him to pay 10,000 penalty units – GH₵120,000.

BY Gibril Abdul Razak