Marijuana Smokers Turn ‘Prayer Warriors’ …As Police arrive for arrests

A crowd of Indian hemp smokers in Bolgatanga, the Upper West Regional Capital, suddenly turned themselves into a group pf ‘prayer warriors’ when police detectives, acting on a tipoff, invaded their den in a bid to arrest them.

The plain-clothed law enforcers counted as many as 30 motorbikes parked at the secret location by the suspected smokers when they swooped on the rocky zone at Tindomolgo, a community in Bolgatanga.

The suspects were all inside a structure surrounded by rocks and painted with pictures of reggae legend, Bob Marley, at the time the lawmen arrived.

When asked what the gathering was about, the alleged smokers told the police they were there to pray for peace and harmony to prevail in the municipality.

Their answer did not wash with the police as an obvious fright in their wide-open eyes and their glaring apprehensiveness were at variance with their purported prayer points— peace and harmony.

Pretending to be convinced, one of the investigators ‘lauded’ the ‘fellowship’ strongly and asked to be allowed to join the ‘prayer session’ to request deliverance on behalf of a friend who needed help.

As the officer was being led by some ‘ushers’ towards the U-shape structure to tender his prayer request, a well-known weed wholesaler in the area, Rashid Amalga, aka Rashid Tanzania, appeared on a motorbike carrying a bag full of weed, suspected to be marijuana, for sale to the ‘worshippers’.

“He didn’t know some strange faces were around until he rode the motorbike in,” said one of the detectives in an interaction with Star News.

“The moment he saw us, the look on his face changed questionably.”

When approached for answers regarding the contents of the bag, Rashid told the officers they were his goods. An immediate search revealed he was carrying large quantities of the prohibited substance.

To avoid any outburst of temper and a possible attack from the crowd waiting impatiently inside the structure for the marijuana merchant, the far-outnumbered detectives quickly whisked Rashid away at the speed of light.

Contemplating a hot chase by the disappointed crowd, the officers reportedly used unpredictable routes to the Bolgatanga Municipal Police Station.

The bag contained 110 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and three polythene bags containing dried leaves, also believed to be the same substance.

Also in the sack were dried leaves thought to be cannabis, three pairs of scissors, three boxes of matches, one packet of London Brown Cigarette, one packet of London White Cigarette, one Sonitec radio set, and a cash of GH¢177.40, believed to be earnings the suspect had made from sale of weed before his arrest.

Police say the suspect, when interrogated, admitted trading in Indian hemp.