Four Ghanaians Found Guilty of Smuggling £4.5 Million Worth of Cannabis into the UK

Four Ghanaian men have been found guilty of smuggling £4.5 million worth of cannabis hidden in sacks of gari powder from Ghana to south Essex. The individuals, Daniel Yeboah (54), Kristoffen Baidoo (48), Kwaku Bonsu (52), and Edward Adjei (48), were convicted after a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.

The drugs were discovered by border force officers in a shipping container at Tilbury Docks, following a sting operation by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA). Intelligence from both the NCA and Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission led to the seizure of 2,335 packages of herbal cannabis, weighing a total of 1.5 tonnes, concealed in hessian sacks of gari.

The container, which had arrived from Ghana on December 19, 2019, was held at Tilbury Docks before being transported to an industrial yard in north London. The group was caught when Yeboah signed for the container using a fake signature, and other members were observed near the site. Realizing the drugs had been replaced with dummy packages, they attempted to flee but were arrested by NCA officers later that day.

The NCA praised the operation as a successful example of international cooperation in combating drug trafficking, highlighting the potential impact of the drugs on fueling crime and violence in the UK.

All four men are set to be sentenced on October 18.