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NACOC details 12-hour operation leading to Abu Trica's arrest
via GhanaWeb2 min read
Alexander Twum-Barimah, the Deputy Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission NACOC, revealed that the operation to arrest businessman and socialite Abu Trica spanned 12 hours and involved three teams. Speaking on Lawson TV on June 1, 2026, Twum-Barimah urged the public to disregard a viral video of the arrest, clarifying that Abu Trica never stated he wanted his lawyer. He emphasized that a court order was issued for the arrest and that the socialite was not targeted due to hatred from the government. Frederick Kumi, known as Abu Trica, was arrested in December 2025 after being indicted by United States authorities for allegedly running a romance scam network that defrauded elderly American victims of over $8 million. He faced charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. In April 2026, the High Court in Accra granted Abu Trica bail in the sum of GH垄30 million with two sureties, following an extradition request from the United States.
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The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by the Republic against the acquittal of Kwame Amponsah and Christopher Obareke in a $270,000 gold export fraud case. The court strongly criticized a police investigator, Detective Chief Inspector George Kingsley Adu, for displaying a "real likelihood of bias" during the investigation. The five-member panel, presided over by Chief Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, found that the investigator developed an unusually close relationship with the complainant, Roberto Maria Di Lorenzo, a foreign national. Evidence showed the investigator accompanied Di Lorenzo to the airport and admitted that "every potential caller is an ally," while treating the original investigator, Chief Inspector Adaba, with hostility. Justice Kweku Tawiah Ackaah-Boafo, delivering the lead judgment, stated that the investigator's closeness to the complainant and hostility towards a fellow officer undermined impartiality. The court emphasized that prosecutors are "ministers of justice" whose primary duty is to pursue the truth, not secure convictions, and must maintain independence. The case originated from a 2015 gold transaction where Di Lorenzo alleged he was defrauded. Amponsah and Obareke were convicted by the High Court in 2019, but the Court of Appeal overturned these convictions in 2021. The Supreme Court affirmed the acquittal, citing the prosecution's failure to produce the complainant as a witness and reliance on hearsay evidence. It also noted that evidence linki
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