Pharmaceutical dealer fined GH₵1.68M for possessing restricted drugs
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Presiding judge Francis Asubayere fined Sayuti GH₵1.68 million—equivalent to 14,000 penalty units—after he pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful possession and illegal sale of restricted medications.
A Circuit Court in Tamale has handed a heavy sentence to a 53-year-old pharmaceutical distributor, Alhaji Abdulai Sayuti, following his conviction for unlawfully possessing restricted drugs.
Presiding judge Francis Asubayere fined Sayuti GH₵1.68 million—equivalent to 14,000 penalty units—after he pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful possession and illegal sale of restricted medications. The fines will run concurrently, but failure to pay will land him in prison for 25 years.
Sayuti’s arrest stemmed from a recent intelligence-led crackdown on the illegal opioid trade in the Northern Region. He was initially caught with 336 blisters of tramadol (120mg) near the Victory Cinema in Tamale.
Authorities later uncovered a far more alarming stash—447 boxes of tramadol and 11 boxes of tramaking—during a follow-up operation. Prosecutors say Sayuti will soon face additional charges related to that larger seizure at the Tamale High Court.
The arrest was the result of weeks of surveillance by security agencies targeting the growing black market for opioids in the region. Officials say the Northern Region has seen a worrying surge in the abuse and circulation of painkillers, prompting intensified enforcement efforts.
