The Juaso Circuit Court presided over by Mr Jacob Boon has sentenced a 34-year-old farmer to 12 years imprisonment with hard labour for possessing narcotic drugs.

Kwame Charles, who pleaded not guilty was convicted after a three months trial.

Police Detective Inspector Eric Atatsi said the complainant in the case was a police inspector at the Juansah police station while Charles was a farmer and lived at Domeabra near Juansah.

He said on August 19, 2008 around 7.30 pm a police patrol team led by the complainant, which was patrolling the Domeabra township, had a tip-off that some people were dealing in drugs in a house and proceeded to the place.

The prosecutor said when the team got to the house they met Charles in possession of a bag which they searched and found some dry leaves suspected to be Indian hemp, two pairs of scissors and two boxes of matches.

Inspector Atatsi said the team further searched the kitchen and found some sacks filled with seeds believed to be that of Indian hemp, all of which he claimed ownership.

He said Charles was sent together with the exhibits to the Agogo Police Station where he informed the police that he was not a drug dealer but smoked them to stimulate him to work on his farm.

Inspector Atatsi said the exhibit were sealed and forwarded to the police forensic laboratory for testing, the result of which proved to be cannabis with the leaves weighing 305 grams while the seeds weighed 4,155 grams.

He was subsequently charged with the offence and arraigned.


Source: GNA