GHANA: A Ghana court has found two British teenage girls guilty of smuggling cocaine

A Ghana court has found two British teenage girls guilty of smuggling cocaine. A court in Ghana on Wednesday (November 21) found two British teenage girls guilty of smuggling cocaine in the West African country, the prosecuting lawyer said. Sentencing was deferred until Dec. 5, lawyer Evelyn Keelson told Reuters. The two girls, both aged 16, face up to three years in jail. "Today the judge sitting, summarising both the prosecution and defence cases and after due consideration gave verdict on both count of guilty against both British minors, sentencing was not delivered today as the judges requested a social services report," said Cary Nichols, the head of press and public affairs for the British High Commission in Ghana. Yasemin Vatansever and Yatunde Diya were arrested on July 2 at Accra's Kotoka airport after Ghanaian anti-drugs officers said they found 6 kg (13 lbs) of cocaine in two laptop bags the girls were carrying as they boarded a flight to Britain. The girls, who had pleaded not guilty, initially told British television after their arrest they were tricked into carrying the laptop bags by male acquaintances in Ghana and Britain and that they did not know what was in them. Ghanaian police investigators said a Ghanaian man had promised the two cash and a paid holiday if they successfully delivered the cocaine to London. "We are deeply disappointed at the verdict delivered this morning, Yasemin and Yatunde are two vulnerable young girls whose naivety was rudely exploited by the men who led them to this terrible fate," said Sabine Zanker, head of the legal team for the girls. The teenagers were arrested under Operation Westbridge, a project set up by Britain and Ghana to tackle drug smugglers using Accra airport as a gateway to Britain and Europe. West Africa has become an important staging post for Colombian cocaine on its way to lucrative European markets.

ITN Source | November 22, 2007

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