Afia Ohemeng
Last Friday, two Nigerians were apprehended at the Kpeglo Border after a whitish substance was found in their possession.
The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) has now stated that the whitish powdery substance is ephedrine and not cocaine.
Ephedrine an odourless, powdered substance is used in the preparation of legal drugs. It is also used in preparing other hard drugs which are illegal.
An earlier test by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) had revealed that the substance was cocaine.
However in the Wednesday, October 2 edition of the Daily Graphic, the Head of the Enforcement Unit at NACOB, Mr Solomon Stanley Eyo, said his institution is tasked with these types of tests and as such, NACOB has found out that the substance is ephedrine.
Mr Solomon said the nature of the substance may have caused the Customs officials to mistake it as cocaine.
It [substance] is whitish and powdery and I think that’s where the problem comes from; it’s not every white thing that is cocaine.”
Ephedrine is used in the preparation of methamphetamine another recreational drug which is now in higher demand than cocaine.
A kilogram of methamphetamine in the Far East countries could cost as much as $120,000, which is higher than one kilogramme of its counterpart cocaine, which is $40,000.
The cost of producing one kilogram of Meth as it is popularly known is quite lower than the cost of producing one kilogramme of cocaine. At the end of the day, meth costs higher than cocaine on the illegal market.
SOURCE: GRAPHIC ONLINE.
