Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkoranza North, Eric Amoateng, was arrested in 2005 in the United States of America (USA) with an accomplice Nii Okai Adjei, for trafficking heroin.
Their arrest resulted in a series of moves by the US government including the seizure of 360 pounds (~ 160kg) of heroin, with a street value of about $6 million (at the time), which were stashed in pottery products imported into the US from Ghana.
Read the full story originally published on November 21, 2005, and republished on Thursday, 21 November 2019 on Ghanaweb.
Chairman of the Narcotics Control Board, Captain Nkrabea Effah Dartey, has confirmed that Eric Amoateng, Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkoranza North, is indeed the man who was busted in the US for drug trafficking.
Hon. Amoateng and an accomplice Nii Okai Adjei were arrested on Saturday, November 12, at a Staten Island storage facility.
Agents seized 136 pounds (~ 61 kg) of heroin concealed in crates of pottery and arrested the two men who had earlier picked up the shipment.
The heroin was one of the largest shipments in recent memory, with a street value of more than $6 million.
The MP has already been arraigned on charges of conspiracy with intent to distribute heroin.
Eric Boateng was on July 30, 2014
After jail
Following his 10-year incarceration in the U.S., Amoateng once again encountered legal troubles, this time for alleged possession of forged travel documents.
Despite his not-guilty plea and subsequent acquittal, the incident raised questions about his activities post-release.
Upon his return to Ghana on August 7, 2014, authorities at Kotoka International Airport discovered him with a passport issued in another individual’s name, suggesting forgery.
Then there were recent reports of Amoateng’s involvement with the Narcotics Control Commission; which were promptly refuted by a statement from Francis Opoku-Amoah, Head of Communications at the Commission.
The statement clarified that Amoateng had never been employed by or served on the Governing Board of the Commission, urging the public to dismiss such claims.
