Four people accused of involvement in the shipment of tonnes of suspected cocaine from Ghana to France have been remanded after pleading not guilty to the charges against them.
The accused persons are Desmond Koranteng Curiel, Musah Attah, Kweku Otchere and Jessica Hartog.
They were arraigned before the Vacation High Court on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, and denied charges of conspiracy to export narcotic drugs without a licence and unlawful exportation of narcotic drugs under the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019).
Their lawyers, Paul Assibi Abariga and Selarly Woanya, applied for bail, but the court refused the applications and ordered that the accused remain in custody until October 13, 2026.
Justice Charity Akosua Asem presided over the proceedings.
The case stems from the interception in Dunkirk, France, of a 40-foot container originating from Ghana. According to the prosecution, the container, which was said to contain plastic waste, was found to have about four tonnes of a substance suspected to be cocaine.
The suspected cocaine has been estimated at a street value of about US$260 million, equivalent to approximately €225 million.
The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) subsequently launched investigations into the shipment and identified the four accused as persons allegedly connected to it.
Curiel, 34, is described as a business broker, while Attah, 47, is a farmer. Otchere, 32, is a businessman and Hartog, 34, is a beautician and Curiel’s fiancée.
NACOC arrested Curiel and Hartog at Ashale Botwe on September 12 and picked up Otchere at East Legon. Attah was arrested two days later at the Commission’s headquarters.
The prosecution said items recovered during searches included three guns, ammunition, passports, four luxury vehicles and various amounts of money.
A Dutch national, Jos Leijdekkers, also known as “Bolle Jos”, has been named as a fifth suspect but is yet to be arrested.
The prosecution said the accused persons gave statements denying involvement in the alleged shipment. Curiel denied knowledge of any narcotics exportation, while Attah described himself as a friend of Curiel with no business dealings with him.
Otchere said his relationship with Curiel was longstanding and that he was involved in constructing apartments for him at Tse Addo. Hartog also denied knowledge of Curiel’s business activities, saying she was only his fiancée.
NACOC says investigations are ongoing to trace and arrest other individuals who may have been involved in the alleged exportation.
