A Tema Circuit Court has handed down a combined 13-year prison sentence to two police officers found guilty of unlawful possession and conspiracy to traffic narcotic drugs.

The court, presided over by Her Ladyship Aleanor Kakra Barnes Botchway, convicted Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Nasiru Amadu and Corporal Emmanuel Mintah following a trial that spanned nearly four years.

Prosecuting the case, ASP Ernest Kuofie told the court that the matter originated in 2023 after an officer at the Afienya District Police Command raised suspicion about the activities of the two accused officers.

At the time, Amadu, aged 48, was serving as the second-in-command at the Sakumono District Police Headquarters, while Mintah, 43, worked directly under him as a service driver.

On November 19, 2023, officers on snap-check duty received intelligence that a Nissan Navara pickup, registration number GP 727, was conveying narcotic substances from Ho to Accra.

At approximately 7:15 p.m., the two officers arrived at the checkpoint in the vehicle and were stopped. A search uncovered eight sacks containing 541 compressed parcels of suspected narcotic drugs.

Further investigations revealed that Mintah had connections to a known drug dealer, identified only as “Oluman,” a resident of Ashaiman Tulaku.

Mintah was allegedly contracted by Oluman to transport Indian hemp from Peki Tsibu in the Volta Region to Tulaku. He later brought Amadu into the deal, and both officers communicated with Oluman to seal the arrangement.

After reaching an agreement, the officers drove the police vehicle from Sakumono to a forest near Peki Tsibu, where they received the drugs from a waiting Benz bus.

They were arrested while transporting the substances. Investigators later confirmed that this was not their first time engaging in the illegal activity.

All seized items were forwarded to the Forensic Crime Laboratory, where they were confirmed to be narcotic substances.

The court ruled that the two officers unlawfully possessed the drugs with intent to traffic, contrary to:


  • Section 23(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960, and

  • Section 37(2)(b) of the Narcotic Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019).

  • One officer received a 10-year prison sentence,

  • The other was sentenced to 5 years,

  • Both sentences are to run concurrently, resulting in a total of 13 years in prison.

In addition, each convict was fined 10,000 penalty units, equivalent to GH₵120,000. Failure to pay the fine will attract an additional three years behind bars.