FDA drags five drug peddlers to court

Five alleged drug peddlers who were caught displaying and selling drugs and herbal medicines unauthorised by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) have appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.

The five including two females have been charged with exhibiting for sale, drugs, and herbal medicinal products not registered by the FDA.

Anita Danso, 27, Akua Oforiwaa, 36, Issaka Awudu 38, Buhari Ganga 26 and Mohammed Sani, 40, all traders, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

They have been granted bail in the sum of GH¢100,000 each with two sureties each to reappear on May 3 before the court presided over by Mrs. Abena Oppong Adjin-Doku.

This was after defense counsel for the five, Mr. E. Korley had prayed the court to admit them to bail considering the fact that the charges against them were misdemeanours and also the accused were not a flight risk.

According to defense the accused were traders at Kwame Nkrumah Circle and that the females among them had kids were ready to provide sureties if granted bail.

The case of prosecution was that the complainants were officials of FDA and accused were drug peddlers at Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

According to prosecution, for some time now, officials of FDA have been receiving complaints about the influx and abuse of tramadol and other aphrodisiac drugs in the country.

The prosecution said based on the complainant, FDA Officials and officers from the Pharmacy Council and the Ghana Police Service embarked on inspections and apprehended the five at Kwame Nkrumah Circle selling various types of unregistered drugs and herbal medicinal products without any registrations by the Authority.

Prosecution said the accused during Police interrogation admitted the offences in their respective caution statement.

Source: GNA