- Two British teenage girls from North London, Yasemin Vatansever and Yatunde Diya, have been found guilty by an Accra juvenile court for attempting to smuggle cocaine from Ghana to the United Kingdom.
The girls, believed to be descendants of immigrants from Cyprus and Nigeria, had duped their parents that they were going for a school trip to France only to be arrested at the Accra Airport on 2 July this year.
They were found in possession of more than 6kg of cocaine worth ₤300,000 Pound Sterling as they tried to board the British Airways flight to London. The drugs were contained in laptop bags.
But the teenagers denied the charges brought against them, claiming that they had been set up to carry the illegal substance to the UK. This was vehemently denied by the prosecution, arguing that the girls were deeply involved in the illegal smuggling from the start.
They are expected to appeal against the verdict.
The court is expected to deliver the sentence on 5 December. The girls could face three years in juvenile detention if the court upholds the guilty verdict.
West Africa has become a new trafficking point for drug traffickers. Most of the drugs are believed to have originated from Colombia through small planes to the region for distribution to Europe where drug prices have soared in recent times.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
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