Labourer fined GH¢120,000 for possessing and selling cannabis, tramadol

A 20-year-old labourer, Kojo Sah Nkrumah, has been fined GH¢120,000 by the Tarkwa Circuit Court for possessing and selling cannabis and tramadol without authorisation.

Nkrumah pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful possession and sale of narcotic drugs. The court, presided over by Ms Bernice Mensimah Ackon, convicted and sentenced him based on his plea. He will serve three years in prison if he fails to pay the fine.

Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Samuel Ahiabor told the court that the complainants were police officers stationed at the Western Central Regional Formed Police Unit (RFPU) Base in Tarkwa.

He said Nkrumah, who lives at Tarkwa Railway Station, was arrested at about 1:30 a.m. on January 21, 2025, during a routine night patrol led by Chief Inspector Issahaque Yahaya.

According to the prosecution, the officers extended their patrol to the railway station, where they found Nkrumah sitting under a shed and allegedly selling substances suspected to be narcotic drugs.

A search of a takeaway bag in his possession uncovered 81 wrapped portions of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis, seven sachets of tramadol and GH¢240 in cash, believed to be proceeds from the sales.

The officers subsequently took him and the seized items to the Tarkwa Police Station.

On April 25, 2025, the exhibits were forwarded to the Forensic Crime Laboratory in Accra for analysis.

A report received on May 13, 2025, confirmed that the plant material tested positive for delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound in cannabis. The substance had a gross weight of 139.61 grammes.