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Viewing cable 07ADDISABABA1000, GHANAIAN DRUG COURIER ARRESTED IN ETHIOPIA WITH

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
07ADDISABABA1000 2007-04-04 13:39 2011-08-24 01:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Addis Ababa
VZCZCXYZ0003
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDS #1000 0941339
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 041339Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5420
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI 0187
RUEHAR/AMEMBASSY ACCRA 0363
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0661
RUEHPC/AMEMBASSY LOME 0482
RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 0204
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
UNCLAS ADDIS ABABA 001000 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E AND INL/ENT 
CAIRO FOR DEA 
LAGOS FOR LEGATT 
CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR KCRM PTER ET GH EG AE TO IR
SUBJECT: GHANAIAN DRUG COURIER ARRESTED IN ETHIOPIA WITH 
HEROIN ALLEGEDLY FROM IRAN 
 
REF: A. 06 ADDIS ABABA 3006 (NOTAL) 
     B. 06 ADDIS ABABA 41 (NOTAL) 
 
1. (SBU) On March 17, Ethiopian Federal Police arrested 
Ghanaian national Abubakari Yakubu (DPOB: 23 January 1972, 
Accra) for possession of heroin at Bole International Airport 
in Addis Ababa.  Mr. Yakubu, age 35, was transiting Bole 
International Airport en route to Lome, and had concealed the 
heroin in his body cavities via swallowing.  Mr. Yakubu 
allegedly obtained nearly one kilogram of heroin in Iran, 
where he swallowed the heroin for concealment and boarded a 
flight to Dubai.  According to Addis Ababa Deputy Commander 
of Ethiopian Federal Police Illicit Drug Control Service 
Tsehayu Kinfu, authorities in Dubai knew that Mr. Yakubu had 
 
SIPDIS 
drugs in his system but chose to allow him to board his 
flight to Addis Ababa.  According to Tsehayu, Dubai 
authorities reported his actions to the Drug Enforcement 
Agency (DEA) in Cairo, who, in turn, alerted the Ethiopian 
Federal Police to this suspected narcotics smuggler. 
 
-------------------------------------- 
EXPULSION OF OVER ONE POUND OF HEROIN 
-------------------------------------- 
 
2. (SBU) Ethiopian police took custody of Mr. Yakubu on March 
23, after his release from an Addis Ababa hospital, where he 
had expelled a total of 27 pellets of heroin (following a 
diet of spaghetti, oranges, and laxatives).  As of March 26, 
Mr. Yakubu expelled five additional pellets, bringing the 
total of expelled pellets to 31, equaling 586.74 grams (or 
1.25 pounds) of heroin.  As of April 2, Mr. Yakubu remained 
in the custody of Ethiopian police. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
ETHIOPIA NOT LIKELY A HUB FOR EXCESSIVE DRUG TRAFFICKING 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
3. (SBU) COMMENT:  It was unclear whether the Ethiopian 
police had made contact with the Ghanaian Embassy regarding 
the arrest.  As noted in Ethiopia's 2006 International 
Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) (ref A), post 
assesses that Ethiopia is not, nor is it likely to become, a 
significant producer, trafficker, or consumer of narcotic 
drugs.  However, its location among the major narcotics 
routes between Southeast/Southwest Asian heroin production, 
European markets, and West African trafficking networks, make 
it a prime candidate for continued drug trafficking.  For 
example, Ethiopian Federal Police report having confiscated 
11 kg, 312.76 grams of heroin from 14 individuals in 2005, 
and 16 kg, 165.98 grams of heroin from 22 individuals in 
2004.  END COMMENT. 
YAMAMOTO