MAJOR HEROIN FACILITATOR ARRESTED IN ACCRA

C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 002426 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/W, INL, DS/IP/AF, DS/ICI/CL, L/LEI FOR BUCHOLZ AND MUELLER; DOJ/OIA-K FOR LATIMER AND KRAFT-KLEHM; DEA PLEASE PASS TO WASHINGTON FIELD DIVISION AND OEE/OI/OC; ROME FOR RD BENSON; BRUSSELS FOR ARD SCARANTINO E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/20/2017 TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL ASEC GH SUBJECT: MAJOR HEROIN FACILITATOR ARRESTED IN ACCRA REF: A) ACCRA 2244 B) ACCRA 2273 Classified By: AMBASSADOR PAMELA E. BRIDGEWATER FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (SBU) On November 20, the Ghana Police, in conjunction with DEA, arrested Kwame Asiedu, a.k.a. Clement Kwame Ablorh, for conspiracy to manufacture and distribute heroin to the U.S. Asiedu was a major organizer and facilitator of trafficking Southwest Asian heroin through Ghana to the U.S and his indictment stemmed from the recent arrests of two major Afghan heroin suppliers arrested in Ghana (refs A and B) and a Ghanaian arrested in the U.S. approximately one month ago. DEA and Ghana Police conducted surveillance on Asiedu for three days and a DEA source finally lured him into a fast food restaurant parking lot where he was arrested. Another Ghanaian was present with Asiedu when he was arrested, but he is not suspected of being a narcotics dealer. After the arrest, Asiedu was taken to Ghana Police Headquarters where he will remain until a court appearance. ¶2. (C) Asiedu was indicted on November 20 in the Eastern District of Virginia and Post is awaiting the formal extradition package from the Department of Justice Office of International Affairs. Post submitted the provisional arrest request to the GOG and DEA personally handed a copy to Ambassador D. K. Osei, the Secretary to President Kufuor. Once the formal extradition package is received, the Ghanaian court system must approve the extradition, which can take time. However, Osei said that he would try to "fast track" the legal process, adding that he wants this extradition to send a strong signal to the Ghanaian drug barons that, if indicted in the U.S., they will be extradited immediately to the U.S. to stand trial. Osei indicated he knows the identities of the major drug barons in Accra and said he recognizes the threat they pose to Ghana. ¶3. (SBU) COMMENT: The arrest and surveillance went smoothly and the Ghana Police again displayed professionalism. As in the arrest of the two Afghans, information was very closely held, with only three GOG officials, including the President, aware of the operation before the arrest took place. This is the first 959 indictment of a Ghanaian citizen and it will be interesting to see how the extradition process plays out. Asiedu appears to be connected to several powerful Ghanaian drug barons and other influential people and if he is extradited, the Ghanaian drug baron community will likely be alarmed. This arrest, combined with the arrest and expulsion of the two Afghan smugglers, seem to indicate a GOG willingness, at least in the President's office, to treat the narcotics threat seriously and act accordingly. END COMMENT. BRIDGEWATER