The Accra High Court has remanded 25-year-old South African national, Andile Mitchel Mdluli, into the custody of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) for allegedly importing over 16 kilograms of cannabis into Ghana through the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
The case, presided over by Justice Mary M.E. Yanzuh, follows charges brought under Sections 36 and 37(1) of the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019), covering importation and unlawful possession of narcotic drugs without lawful authority.
Assistant State Attorney (ASA) Andrew Owusu Agyeman, representing the Republic, told the court that the accused was arrested upon her arrival at KIA on Friday, April 25, 2025. She was traveling from Bangkok, Thailand, via Dubai, onboard Emirates Airlines flight EK 787.
Mdluli, who claims to be a private concierge, was traveling with a South African passport (No. A08844696) issued in October 2019.
ASA Agyeman explained that NACOC operatives at KIA, acting on intelligence from international partners, had been alerted to a trafficking syndicate recruiting drug couriers on routes from Bangkok to Accra via Dubai. Based on the tipoff, authorized officers stationed at Terminal 3 Arrival Hall identified and intercepted the suspect upon disembarkation at about 11:50 a.m.
Mdluli had in her possession a piece of hand luggage and a black checked-in suitcase tagged in her name. During initial profiling, she admitted to packing the bags herself and claimed full knowledge of their contents. Although she provided a code to unlock the suitcase, it failed, and with her consent, officers forcibly opened it.
Inside, two towels concealed fifteen (15) vacuum-sealed black bags containing a plant-like substance suspected to be cannabis. A field test confirmed the presence of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis. The total gross weight of the seized substance was approximately 16.36 kilograms.
No incriminating items were found in her hand luggage.
The ASA further stated that Mdluli volunteered to assist NACOC in an intelligence-led operation to apprehend her local accomplices, but the effort was unsuccessful. She was subsequently taken to the NACOC Headquarters for further investigation.
The seized substances are expected to be forwarded to the Ghana Standards Authority for confirmatory analytical examination.
Justice Yanzuh, after hearing submissions from both the prosecution and defense counsel, Mr. Beeyeeman Gori-Atta Akyea, granted the prosecution’s request and ordered that the accused be remanded into NACOC custody. The case has been adjourned to May 15, 2025.
