Court refuses bail to six accused in alleged 3.9-tonne cocaine export to France

Pinned summary · as of 04:21

The Kwabenya Circuit Court in Accra on Tuesday, 29 September, refused bail to six people on trial over a consignment of cocaine, weighing roughly 3.9 tonnes, that prosecutors say was sent to France. Four of the accused work for the Ghana Revenue Authority, and all six remain in custody until the case resumes on 20 October 2026.

What we know

• Six people are on trial at the Kwabenya Circuit Court, accused in connection with some 3.9 tonnes of suspected cocaine sent abroad to France. The first two accused are Francis Narh Amanor, a logistics company owner, and Frank Adu-Boahen, who prosecutors say owned the goods. Togbe Agbeti and Helena Akua Denkyi are among the other four, together with Andrews Tetteh Amponsah and Daniel Laryea.
• The court refused bail on 29 September, after a ruling that had been put off from 24 September, and adjourned the case to 20 October 2026.
• According to the reports of the ruling, the presiding judge weighed the seriousness of the alleged offence and whether the accused would turn up for trial when he decided they should stay in custody.
• Defence lawyers had asked for bail, saying their clients had assisted investigators and were ready to face trial. They also pointed to health problems affecting some of the accused.
• The six face charges of conspiracy to export narcotic drugs and of exporting narcotic drugs without authority.
• Four of the accused, Mr Agbeti, Mr Tetteh Amponsah, Mr Laryea and Ms Denkyi, are employed in Customs at the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
• Prosecutors allege that Mr Amanor appeared as the exporter named on the container and that Mr Adu-Boahen owned the goods. These are allegations, not findings of the court.
• Prosecutors further allege that the four Customs staff handled the scanning of the containers, that the images showed irregularities, and that the consignment was nonetheless cleared without further checks. The four have not been reported responding to this allegation.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  The presiding judge is named Prince Osei Owusu in some reports and Prince Osei-Wusu in others. Citi Newsroom also quoted him as considering whether the accused might interfere with the trial, a point the other reports do not mention.
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  Onua Online's first report described three charges, including abetment of the export against the four GRA staff, citing the charge sheet. Its later reports and other coverage list only two charges, so it is not clear whether the abetment count stands.
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  Onua Online reported prosecutors as saying Mr Adu-Boahen shared his login details with co-accused so they could analyse the scans, that he was arrested in Community 19, Tema, on 16 September, and that he admitted owning four containers loaded at a warehouse in Community 12. These claims have not been confirmed elsewhere and the accused have not been quoted in reply.
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  Onua Online also reported prosecutors as saying customs records list Fresna Commodities Ltd as exporter with Mr Amanor's phone number, that the same number is tied to F&F Logistics, and that Mr Amanor told investigators the cargo was pet flakes or plastic scraps. No other report carries these details.
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  Onua Online reported that the defence said Mr Amanor has high blood pressure and Ms Denkyi is a sickle cell patient, and that the judge told prosecutors to see that any sick accused is taken to a health facility. Other reports of the hearing refer only to unspecified health conditions.
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  The Ghana Report said the shipment was stopped by French customs officers at Dunkirk. That detail has not appeared in other reports.

Why it matters for Ghana

The case draws attention to how containers are checked before they leave Tema port, because Customs staff are among those accused of not acting on what the scans showed. It also tests how the courts treat bail in serious drug cases, where every accused person is presumed innocent until a court decides otherwise. The hearing on 20 October will show how the trial proceeds.