TWO WEE PEDDLERS IN TROUBLE (MIRROR, PAGE 35)

From Samuel Duodu, Duayaw-Nkwanta

A 38-year-old trader, based at Duayaw-Nkwanta, the capital of the Tano North District in the Brong Ahafo Region, who sold dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp (wee) to a student has been remanded by the Duayaw Nkwanta Circuit Court for processing nacortic drugs and assault.
The trader, Madam Abena Kessewa, who also operated a drinking spot, was remanded in prison custody, together with one Kwadwo Owusu, a farmer and an accomplice on the same charges.
The two accused persons, whose pleas were not taken are to re-appear before the court to be presided over by Mr Justice Amo Yartey on September 4, 2008.
The dried leaves, which were suspected to be Indian hemp, were retrieved from the two accused persons by the police, and had since been sent to the police forensic laboratory at the police headquarters in Accra for testing.
The facts of the case as presented in court were that the complainant was a trader at Duayaw Nkwanta, while Kessewa and Owusu, the first and second accused persons, were a trader and farmer respectively, also resided at Duayaw Nkwanta.
On June 5, 2008 around 9.30am, the complainant was informed that her brother, a student, was seen buying dried leaves, suspected to be wee from the first accused.
The complainant, therefore, went to the first accused’s drinking spot to stop the brother, who was a student, from buying the ‘stuff’.
The complainant, therefore, collected the stuff with the intent to send it to the police station, but the first accused person held the neck of the complainant while the second accused person removed a metal object from his pocket and hit the hands of the complainant and subjected her to severe beating, until they retrieved the substance from her.
The complainant, however, reported the case to the police and they were both arrested.
A search was conducted at the spot of the accused person and two maxi bags containing the dried leaves and some pieces of paper used as wrappers were found.
After police investigations, they were charged with the offence and the substance retrieved had been sent to the Police Forensic Laboratory for testing.