<<Print>>

Executive Director of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, has reacted angrily to media reports that the cannabis busted at the Heathrow Airport in London last week on board a plane from Ghana has a street value of �4.3 million. The NACOB boss believes the media has sensationalized the story insisting that there is no truth in the price tag as quoted, adding that the street value of the drug will not be more than �500,000. Border Force officials at the Heathrow airport on Monday busted 1.5 tonnes of cannabis in tape-wrapped compressed packages within boxes on a flight from Accra. The cannabis, described by UK officials as their biggest in three years, is reported to have a street value of �4.3 million. They were found in three separate freight containers filled with fresh fruit and vegetables. Mr. Sarpong, who has accepted blame for lapses at the KIA which allowed such a consignment to sneak through, served notice he may resign as a result. Speaking in an exclusive interview on Okay FM�s Ade Akye Abia Morning show, Akrasi Sarpong lambasted the UK journalist who filed the story, questioning the figures he bandied about saying he (Akrasi) knows �the street value of drugs on the streets of London so they cannot just write anything illogical.� �It is totally false that the street value of the cannabis busted in the Heathrow Airport is 4.3 million pounds.�It is very clear that the UK newspaper was just quoting an amount of money�the street value will not be more than 500,000 pounds�People should shut up and do a simple arithmetic before quoting such figures�I am a better mathematician than that English journalist,� the NACOB boss said. Clearly upset with the reportage by the UK media, Mr Akrasi Sarpong admitted though that the whole incident is a huge embarrassment to the country. He however gave the assurance that NACOB is committed to a thorough investigation into the incident and will make its findings public. Five officials of the NACOB, Kamaldeen Awudu, Wolanyo Fiano ,Ibrahim Badoo, Marvin Amon-kotei and Ben Kusi Asante have meanwhile been picked up by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) in connection with the latest seizure of cannabis in the UK.