Supreme Court keeps suspected drug traffickers in jail

Ghana’s Supreme Court ruled on Friday that five suspected drug traffickers involved in the country's biggest ever narcotics seizure should remain in custody pending trial. The five foreigners were arrested in January after the police seized 588 kg of cocaine worth an estimated US$145 million at street prices. However, they were subsequently released by a judge on bail of just $33,000 each. Folllowing a public outcry over the move, the judge was removed from the case and the five men were re-arrested. The Appeal Court quashed their bail order on 3 March and ordered them to be held in custody. The five then appealed against their re-arrest to the Supreme Court. Presiding Supreme Court judge Sophia Akuffo said in a brief address that American Kevin Gorman, German Sven Herb and Britons Alan Hodson, David Logan and Frank Lavelrick, should remain in detention. She said the court would give reasons for its ruling on 7 July. Six men were arrested at the time of the drugs bust in January, but one of them, Ghanaian national Mohammed Ibrahim Kamil, did not appeal to the Supreme Court against the quashing of the bail order. The six suspects have been charged with smuggling the cocaine into Ghana with intent to ship it on to the United Kingdom. The drugs haul was seized in Gorman's house near Accra in a joint operation by Ghanaian and UK narcotics officials. All six accused have have pleaded not guilty to the offence. Narcotics officials believe the cocaine was flown across the Atlantic by plane from South America and dropped into Ghanaian offshore waters. There, they say, it was picked up by tuna fishing boats owned by the suspects and brought ashore. Ghana has very stiff drug laws to counter drug trafficking. Convicted dealers face long jail terms and their property may be confiscated. However, police say Ghana continues to be used as major transit point for narcotics trafficking.