Richard Abalansah, 28 and a dispatch rider, has been accused of unlawful possession of narcotic drug, which is against section 37(1) of the Narcotic Commission Act, 2020 (1019).

The accused was arrested by the police on November 15, 2022 at about 5:00pm at Madina in the Greater Accra Region, while he allegedly had in his possession 20 parcels of dried leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs without lawful authority.

Richard Abalansah has pleaded not guilty to the charged and has been granted bail in the sum of GH¢18,000 with two sureties, which one will be justified by landed property within the jurisdiction of the court and the other must be a family member of the accused who is above 18 years.

The Accra Circuit Court hearing the matter, further gave an instructive orders that the accused should report once every week to the police station.

The presiding magistrate, Samuel Bright Acquah was informed that the prosecuting officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Augustine Yirenkyi that officer of the Accra Regional Police Command were the complainants in the case.

He I formed the court that Richard Abalansah claims he is a dispatch rider and lives at Nsakena, a suburb of Accra.

According to him, November 15, 2022 at about 5:00pm whiles the complaianants were on duty at Madina, they sported the accused person on an unregistered royal motor bike with a load, which was wrapped with a black polytene bag. 

He said the police officers pursued him and arrested the accused and search was conducted in the bag, led to the retrieval of 20 parcels of dried leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs.

DSP Yirenkyi added that when the accused about the parcel he was carrying, he claimed a driver gave it to him to be delivered to one Mohammed at Nima.

Nevertheless, the prosecutor said the accused failed to lead the police to apprehend the said Mohammed. 

Meanwhile, he indicated that police investigation revealed that the accused person has a lot of customers in Accra that he deliver the dried substance and among other hard drugs to.

Currently, he stated the exhibits had been forwarded to the forensic laboratory for examination.