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A hot argument between defence counsel and prosecution at the trial of the 10 Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) officers who allegedly abetted drug dealers, resulted in the use of unsavoury language at the Accra Circuit Court yesterday. The situation, which lasted for about five minutes, would have worsened if the trial judge, Eric Kyei Baffuor, had not intervened. It all happened when Kwame Akuffo opinioned that the state had �an untidy manner of prosecuting cases�. This was in response to a submission by the Principal State Attorney, Mr. Wiredu, that the case be adjourned because he handled the case the day before. Stung by the statement, Mr. Wiredu said, �My Lord, whether we are tidy or not I like it and at the right time I would show them who is tidy and who is not�. The trial judged advised him to take things easy, but this was after the state attorney added that �their mouth stinks�. Ellis Owusu Fordjour, also counsel in the case, told Mr. Wiredu that if he collapsed in the courtroom, there would be no available ambulances to take him to the hospital, after which they both laughed. At that very moment however, prosecutors in the courtroom and the defence team were exchanging words. While the prosecutors felt the statement by Mr. Akuffo was not fair, the defence team was of the view that their colleague had hit the nail right on the head. It took the judge about two minutes to calm both sides down, after which the case continued. The accused persons, Fatima Abdulai, Dennis Adutwum Gyimah, Yakubu Issaka, Timothy Aboloimpo, Peter Asong, Mutawakilu Yahaya Iddi, Jerry John Kwesi Abbiw, Eric Darko Akuffo, Nana Zamsah Evrah and Abubakari Nallah popularly called Abu Sondoko, owner and bankroller of Tudu Mighty Jets Football Club, were not in the courtroom when the case was called. They were brought to the court but did not alight from the vehicle. They remained there till the judge ordered that they should be remanded into prison custody after refusing them bail. He was however quick to add that measures should be taken to ensure their safety. Earlier, Mr. Akuffo, reacting to the submission by the state that the accused persons should be placed in prison custody, said it would not be in their clients� interest as they had been witnesses in narcotic related cases against some convicts, adding that �their lives could be in danger�. Counsel in the matter, James Aglaga, Kwame Akuffo, Raymond Bagnabu, James Abeaduka, Amofa Agyemang, Dr Kwaku Nsiah, Dr Emmanuel Ayine and Mr. Eliss Owusu Fordjour complained about lack of access to their clients. Mr. Abeaduka noted that they were harmless citizens who wanted to have conference with their clients, praying the court to order that they should have access to their clients when they wanted to. The case has been adjourned to October 5, 2011. The accused persons are alleged to have aided a drug suspect called Edward Macauley and others to export narcotic drugs to America. Macauley and his accomplices are currently in the custody of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI). The first accused, Fatima Abdulai, during her arrest and interrogation at the offices of the BNI, reportedly sang like a canary bird about how she and her colleagues had aided suspected drug barons to export and import narcotic drugs. Narrating events leading to the arrest of the accused persons, Supt Boye Abicham told the court at the last hearing that the suspects were NACOB operatives stationed at their headquarters in Accra. He said some of the officers worked at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) between 2009 and 2011, where they were supposed to check and arrest passengers carrying narcotic drugs. According to him, sometime in July 2011, a narcotic drug suspect, Edward Macauley, who had been in the USA for some time, was arrested at Dansoman and during investigations, text messages reportedly from Fatima, were found on the cell phone of the suspect. Superintendent Abicham noted that the text revealed that the said Fatima, working with the Procurement Unit of NACOB, together with some colleagues, had been aiding suspects and other drug dealers to import and export narcotic drugs through KIA. The police officer stated that the NACOB lady was arrested and during interrogation, admitted the offence and mentioned the other suspects.