The Ghanaian/Austrian lady arrested with 12 kilos of cocaine at Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom says she is prepared to go to jail.

Nayele Ametefeh told Ghanaian consular officials in the UK that even though she was simply a courier, she was ready to bear the consequences of carrying the drugs.

Foreign Affairs Minister Hannah Tetteh revealed these to Accra-based Radio Gold Tuesday.

According her, the suspect claimed that she was aboard the plane when a ground staff delivered the package to her.

“This is the story she told the consular staff, that she went through the VIP Lounge, she didn’t carry anything onto the plane, somebody who was a ground staff brought a bag to her, she doesn’t know who the person was but the person knew her name and the seat in which she was sitting and that she collected the bag and it was heavy; it wasn’t possible for her to pick it up and put it in the overhead luggage compartment so she opened the bag, took out two packages and put them in her hand luggage,” Ms Tetteh said.

She reported Nayele Ametefeh as saying that she didn’t know that the contents of the bag were cocaine, “she said she thought it was gold.”

"She wasn't ready to give them any more information and when they tried to ask her who was the person who sent the guy to bring her the bag onboard, she said she wasn't prepared to say anything else," the Foreign Minister said.  

Ms. Tetteh said the cocaine suspect claimed that she agreed to carry the luggage, "because the money was good but she was resigned to the fact that she had been caught and she was ready to do the time in jail."   

The Foreign Minister also refuted reports that officials of Ghana's mission in the UK were stationed at the airport to pick the lady.

She said even though mission staff were at the airport, "they were there to receive a delegation coming from the Ministry of Defence."