Nayele Ametefe, aka Ruby Adu Gyamfi, the Ghanaian woman in the thick of the 12.5kg cocaine saga that rocked the nation a few months ago has been sentenced to an imprisonment term of eight years and eight months by a British court according to GhanaWeb.
Ms. Ametefe had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge of attempting to carry 12.5 kilos of cocaine to the United Kingdom which had a street value of over $2million. Ametefe is reported to have also had over $25000 on her person when she was arrested at London's Heathrow airport on November 10-monies she claimed were given to her as payment by an unidentified 50-year old.
Court transcripts show that the judge had remarked that the substance Ms. Ametefe was caught carrying was among the purest form of cocaine ever seized at the Heathrow Airport with a purity level of 79%.
Before her arrest, it was alleged that Ms. Ametefe was en route to the Dominican Republic. But whether that was the final discharge point for the consignment of cocaine is not clear. However, court transcripts shed light on the circumstances leading to Ametefe's capture revealing that Ametefe was given access to the Very Very Important Person (VVIP) lounge at Accra's international airport, which helped her move the contraband out of Ghana, undetected.
At least three security and civil service officials, who are said to have been complicit in the high-profile drug smuggling case, are currently on trial by Ghanaian authorities.
Nayele Ametefe, who also goes by the aliases Cleopatra, Angel and Ruby is rumored to have connections among Ghana's elite class including President John Mahama and his family.
Over the weekend, Nayele Ametefe was rumored to have been attempting to change her plea to 'not guilty' causing many to suggest the move could result in incriminating other Ghanaians, previously not on trial. However, Ametefe's sentencing today appear to have put an end to that speculation. Miss Ametefe who holds dual citizenship of Ghana and Austria is expected to relocate to Austria after completing her prison term in the UK.