The Ghanaian woman who was busted for carrying 12.5kg of cocaine into the United Kingdom has pleaded guilty to all the charges leveled against her in a court in London on Thursday.
The woman, Ruby Appiah, alias Nayele Ametefeh pleaded guilty to carrying cocaine to the UK.
Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hannah Tetteh in an interview said that Nayele Ametefeh told officials from Ghana’s High Commission in the UK that she was given what she believed to be gold by an unknown person while on a British Airways flight from Accra to the UK.
[contextly_sidebar id=”TV6fAjTLqhqqrtl4b0sA6DY31udcptQW”]According Citi FM’s Philip Ashon who was in the court in the UK, the court refrained from stating the exact amount of the substance due to ongoing forensic analysis of the substance.
According to prosecution, led by Ravinder John, Ms. Ametefeh would get a minimum of 10 years and if the substance is in excess of 10kg she will get more.
During Thursday’s hearing the prosecutor revealed that Ms. Ametefeh told border patrol officers she was in the country (UK) “for shopping.”
Prosecutor Ravinder John also said that the woman was born in Ghana and lived in Austria and has also lived in Ghana for a period of time.
Ms. Ametefe appeared before the Crown Court at Isleworth on Thursday via a video link.
The case has been adjourned to January 5, 2015.
Ametefeh’s arrest and subsequent trial have generated huge controversy in Ghana.
A total of twelve people have been arrested in Ghana in connection with the case.
The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) has come under intense criticism for failing to prevent the drugs from leaving the country even though it claims it collaborated with the British government on this bust.
Official reports indicate she managed to travel with the huge quantity of cocaine through the VIP lounge at the Kotoka International airport.
The minority in parliament have called for a bi-partisan committee to investigate circumstances under which Ametefeh had access to the VIP lounge.
By: Nana Ama Agyeman Asante/citifmonline.com/Ghana