Jailed 15 years for trading in Tramadol, other dangerous drugs

An Ashaiman Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Gabriel Matey-Teye, has sentenced two persons to 15 years imprisonment each with hard labour for their possession of illegal drugs.

Ali Haruna, 38, and Ali Mubanoo Almu, 50, both Nigeriens, were arrested by the Ashaiman District Police Headquarters for trading in dangerous drugs such as tramadol without licence.
 
After a year-long trial at the Ashaiman Circuit Court, the two were fined 7,500 penalty units each, representing an amount of  GH¢90,000 or in default serve 15 years in prison.
 
Due to their inability to pay the said amount, they were whisked to the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons to serve their jail terms.

Presenting the facts of the case, DSP Divine Essiam stated that the Ashaiman Police acted on an intelligence report and arrested the two operating at Old Tulaku, a suburb of Ashaiman, in the Greater Accra Region, under the guise of operating a ‘provisions’ shop.
 
According to the prosecutor, Haruna was reported for having in his possession over 1,000 pieces of assorted perilous drugs including tramadol, diazem tablets, axzol tablets, nitrazepam, among others.

Almu also had 500 pieces of assorted drugs such as tramadol, eskazepam and new royal.

DSP Essiam said the convicts were said to have admitted in their caution statements to the police that they sold the drugs to their customers who were mostly youth of Ashaiman.

He said samples of the drugs were sent to the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) for laboratory test which duly confirmed that the drugs were dangerous to human health.