The press in Ghana on Thursday highlights the twist in events in the suspected cocaine bust in Accra on Friday by Customs, which turned out that the powder was actually ephedrine.
The Daily Graphic said the powder was found on two Nigerians at the Kpeglo Border Post on Friday with the suspicion by Customs officials that it could be cocaine.
This led to a preliminary test by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), which confirmed the substance was cocaine was flawed by a further scrutiny by the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), has disproved the earlier claim.
The Head of Enforcement Unit at the NACOB, Mr. Solomon Stanley Eyo, told the newspaper that substance was actually ephedrine, a substance used in the preparation of some drugs.
He noted that the cost of ephedrine in the Middle East was far more than cocaine, and that could have motivated the suspects, to have attempted to smuggle the whitish substance.
The Ghanaian Times, for its part, says the Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akuffo, has advised judges to desist from taking monies labelled as “thank you” for staff of the Judicial Service, in appreciation for their work.
“I know this practice has persisted over a long period, but I believe it is time for us to put a stop to it as judges, as it contributes to culture of corruption in our institution. Judicial Service staff, are paid by the state to undertake heir official duties. Any ‘thank you’ must not go beyond the verbal and that should be it,” Akuffo said.
DAP/GIK/APA