An Accra Circuit Court has remanded three persons over the alleged concealment of 869 slabs of substances suspected to be cocaine in bags of gari and cassava powder at the Tema Main Harbour.
The accused persons are Gilano Jorgino Holwin, a Dutch security guard; Alhaji Iddrisu Haruna, a 56-year-old transporter; and John Mensah Sarbah, a 41-year-old clearing agent.
The three have been charged with conspiracy to commit unlawful control of narcotic drugs, unlawful control of narcotic drugs, and prohibited business relating to narcotic drugs.
They pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The court, presided over by Mrs Evelyn Asamoah, remanded the accused persons into lawful custody after refusing bail applications filed by their lawyers.
Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Emmanuel Haligah told the court that investigations were still ongoing and urged the court to consider the seriousness of the allegations before granting bail.
According to the prosecution, Holwin is a resident of Cantonments, while Haruna and Sarbah reside in North Legon and Nungua respectively.
The court heard that the complainants, who are police officers attached to the Tema Regional Criminal Investigations Department, received intelligence regarding suspected narcotic activities at the Tema Main Harbour.
On August 5, 2026, at about 7:30 p.m., the police proceeded to the Golden Suvineur warehouse at the Main Harbour, where they allegedly arrested the three accused persons.
The prosecution said the accused persons were found loading white sacks containing gari and cassava powder from the warehouse into a DAF truck with registration number WR 1118-10.
Upon inspection of the sacks, the police allegedly discovered 869 slabs of substances suspected to be narcotics concealed among the gari and cassava powder.
ASP Haligah further told the court that during interrogation, Holwin allegedly admitted ownership of the suspected narcotics and indicated that Haruna and Sarbah were assisting him to export the substances to London, United Kingdom.
The alleged narcotic exhibits have since been forwarded to the Forensic Science Laboratory for examination and the preparation of a report.
The prosecution told the court that investigations were continuing and urged that the accused persons remain in custody to allow investigators to complete their work.
The court subsequently remanded Holwin, Haruna and Sarbah into lawful custody. They are expected to reappear before the court as investigations continue.
