A 29-YEAR-OLD national service person has been arrested for attempting to smuggle to Holland 27 pellets of white substances suspected to be cocaine.

Christopher Boakye Amponsah, who is doing his national service with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) office at Nsawam, was arrested at the Kotoka International Airport on February 24, 2008
while going through departure formalities.

A source at the Bureau of National of Investigations (BNl), whose personnel effected the arrest, told the Daily Graphic on Wednesday that the suspect's Mercedes C-Class Benz, with registration number GR 1954 X, had been impounded while investigations continue into his other property.

It said the suspect initially denied possessing any contraband goods but was taken to the BNI head office for observation.

It said the suspect was later taken to a hospital where he was examined and detected to have swallowed some foreign materials.

The source said when the suspect was taken back to the BNI head office, he discharged 24 pellets in a stool he passed.

It said he later expelled three more pellets in another round of stool discharge.

According to the source, it was at that point that the suspect admitted swallowing 27 pellets of the substance, which he claimed was given to him by someone identified only as Max.

It said the suspect claimed that Max had promised to give him 1,500 euros on delivery of the pellets in Amsterdam, Holland and alleged that Max had taken the lead to Holland to wait for him.

The source said a look at the suspect’s passport showed that he had travelled widely on the West African coast and to South Africa, and
Europe particularly the United Kingdom, Holland and Germany.

It said it could be deduced that the suspect was a courier,
considering the number of travels he had made and the property he had acquired.

It said as someone who had just completed university and was doing national service, it was questionable where he got money to make such travels and acquire the Benz, a van and other property still being investigated.

The suspicion was supported by the suspect’s own indication that he had lost both parents.


Source: Daily Graphic