British teens' drug trial starts in Ghana

The trial of two teenage British girls accused of attempting to smuggle £300,000 (€448,000) worth of cocaine to Britain began in a Ghana court today, officials said.

Yasemin Vatansever and Yatunde Diya were expected to enter pleas at the packed juvenile court in Ghana’s capital, Accra, said Gary Nichols, head of Public Affairs at the British High Commission.

The hearing was closed to the public.

The pair, both 16-year-old students from north London, were detained on July 2 at Accra’s international airport as they were preparing to return to Britain.

Customs officials discovered the cocaine hidden in laptop cases during a search.

The two were provisionally charged with drug possession and drug trafficking, crimes that carry ten year prison terms in the West African nation.