British teenagers await drug smuggling verdict in Ghana

Two British teenagers accused of attempting to smuggle 6.5kg of cocaine from Ghana to the UK in laptop bags will discover their fate on Wednesday.

Yetunde Diya and Yasemin Vatansever, from Islington, north London, were arrested by British and Ghanaian officers as part of Operation Westbridge, a joint operation tackling the problem of drugs being transported from South America to Europe via West Africa. For the past three years Ghana has been setting new records for drugs seizures in Africa. West Africa is "increasingly at the intersection between big European traffickers and major South American producers," said Emmanuel Leclaire, Interpol's assistant-director for criminal organisations and drugs. "We're seeing traffickers taking small planes and adding extra fuel tanks to give them enough range to cross the Atlantic."

Immigration records reveal hundreds of Colombians and Venezuelans arrive in Ghana every year. It is feared the Colombians have a cocaine processing plant within Ghana already. Corruption within Ghana's law enforcement agencies has hindered Operation Westbridge's effectiveness. A top police official was taped earlier this year discussing cocaine shipments with five wealthy businessmen. The businessmen are currently on trial but the police officer was never charged.

If found guilty, Yetunde Diya and Yasemin Vatansever face up to three years in juvenile detention. Tried as adults, they could have expected up to 20 years. Their sentence will be served in Ghana, as the UK has no agreement with Ghana for prisoners to serve their sentences at home.

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