The Narcotics Control Board [NACOB], has impounded a Kia truck with dried leaves suspected to be cannabis at Buokono, near Asesewa in the Upper Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region.
The estimated gross weight of the seized cannabis is 5 tonnes, with the street value of about GHc 500,000.
A statement from NACOB said the enforcement agency received a tip-off that a boat from Dzemeni in the Volta Region, had offloaded the cannabis onto an Ashaiman- bound truck at a village near Asesewa.
NACOB in collaboration with the District Police Command at Asesewa, intercepted the said truck and arrested the driver, identified as Stephen Narteh Sangmortey.
The driver’s accomplice, however fled when security officers stopped the vehicle for checks.
“A search conducted on the truck revealed sacks filled with dried leaves suspected to be cannabis, packed onto the bucket of the truck, and covered with a tarpaulin. In all, 124 sacks all containing dried leaves suspected to be cannabis sativa (wee), were retrieved from the truck,” the statement said.
Of the sacks confiscated, 72 of them had compressed dried leaves, and the other 52 contained uncompressed dried leaves, all suspected to be cannabis.
The 72 sacks of compressed dried leaves were further found to contain 4,326 slabs of compressed cannabis.
“The purported owner of the consignment is one Nicholas Lartey (a.k.a Nharyo) who is currently at large. The driver of the truck, Stephen Narteh Sangmortey, was put before court and subsequently remanded in prison custody,” NACOB noted in the statement.
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana