An Accra High Court has sentenced a Liberian national to ten (10) years imprisonment for attempting to smuggle cocaine, a narcotic drug through the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to Bangkok, Thailand.
The court presided by her Ladyship Justice Mary Ekua Yanzuh on Wednesday 31st August 2022, after the conviction of Ms. Wolo Maikplay Margaret, also fined her ten thousand penalty units which translate to Ghc12,000 in default to serve three years additional jail term.
The accused pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted exportation and possession of a narcotic drug without a Minister of Health license, in violation of sections 36 and 37 of the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019), respectively.
The presiding judge, however, found her guilty on her plea on each count to run concurrently.
The facts of the case are that Ms. Wolo Maikplay Margaret was apprehended by Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) officers on the 14th of May, 2022, while transiting through Kotoka International Airport (KIA) from Monrovia to Bangkok-Thailand onboard Qatar Airways.
A total of thirty (30) pellets containing cocaine weighing 277.2101grams were retrieved from beneath her breast and Vagina when commission officials conducted a physical search on her after receiving a tip from a sister security agency at Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
A statement issued by the commission signed by Francis Opoku Amoah
Acting Director Public Affairs and International Relations Department emphasized that the possession and attempted transportation of narcotic drugs is still illegal and punishable under domestic law.
“It also assures citizens of its ongoing commitment to keeping the influx and smuggling of all types of narcotic drugs to a bare minimum through collaboration with the relevant stakeholders”. The statement concluded.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Obed Ansah /Solomon Nuwordu
