Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Henry Kofi Wampah has confirmed that British fugitive, David Macdermott who was arrested in Ghana over cocaine related offences is indeed married to his step daughter.
In a short statement released on Sunday following the arrest which took place on Friday, Dr. Wampah said “I have received news about the arrest of David McDermott, who is married to my step daughter, Ramona, with shock.
“David has been known to me as a worker in the mining sector and has been living in the country with Ramona since their marriage some three years ago.”
The statement went on further to say that “until I received information about his arrest, I had absolutely no knowledge about David being a fugitive of the British government.”
Mr. McDermott, described by some as Britain’s most wanted cocaine fugitive has been hiding out in Ghana at his home in Burma Hills in Accra.
The 42-year-old is married to Ramona Wampah, the step daughter of the governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr. Henry Kofi Wampah and they have a child together.
Suspected of being a member of an organised crime syndicate from Liverpool – he has been on the run for three-years for his connection to a smuggling plot to import£71 million worth of cocaineinto the UK.
Tracking down David has been a relentless task, the British High Commission in Accra has been working tirelessly with Ghana’s Bureau of National Investigations and with the police in the UK in a joint operation that has been swift and successful.
“The Ghanaian police acting on a tip off stepped into arrest David in conjunction with British officials.
“They have since began their extradition application – no British police have been to the country yet – but if the case is granted going forward they will send out a team.”
The news of the arrest is yet another boost for the British Foreign Office in Accra who last month expedited the extradition of Arthur Simpson-Kent who was arrested in connection with the murder of Eastenders actress Sian Blake and her two sons.
McDermott’s gang is believed to be responsible for a failed smuggling operation discovered by Border Force at Tilbury Docks in May 2013, when officers seized 400kg (881Ibs) of cocaine smuggled into the country in a container of frozen Argentinian beef.
The suspected drug trafficker is also wanted for conspiracy to blackmail.He is currently being held in custody by the Ghanaian authorities.
His arrest means that 76 out of 86 fugitives on the Captura list have now been caught.
The Operation was launched in 2006 to trace wanted criminals suspected of fleeing to Spain to avoid the British authorities.
Speaking after McDermott’s arrest, Dave Allan, head of the NCA’s international crime bureau, said: “This arrest is a result of closely working with the Ghanaian authorities, and shows our determination and success in tracking down fugitives, however far they run in an attempt to evade capture.
“McDermott was the last man outstanding in a plot to smuggle a huge quantity of cocaine which would have ended up on the streets of Merseyside. He will now be returned to the UK to stand trial.”
By Martin Asiedu-Dartey|tv3network.com|Ghana
Twitter: @NewsyMartin