Frederick Kumi, widely known as Abu Trica, has been re-arrested by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) shortly after he was discharged by the Gbese District Court in Accra on Monday, January 26, 2026, in connection with an alleged multi-million-dollar romance scam tied to U.S. victims.
Abu Trica and two co-accused were initially freed after the District Court ruled that the prosecution had withdrawn charges against his alleged accomplices, a development that led the court to discharge all three defendants. During that session, NACOC operatives reportedly attempted to detain the socialite immediately after the discharge, a move that reportedly drew the ire of the presiding judge.
After his discharge, Abu Trica filed an application at the Accra High Court seeking a certiorari order to challenge the District Court’s proceedings. The High Court struck out the application on the basis that, with the charges withdrawn and the accused discharged, there was no longer a live issue before it. Shortly after the High Court’s decision, state authorities rearrested Abu Trica.
Abu Trica was first arrested on December 11, 2025, in a coordinated operation involving Ghanaian security agencies and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He is accused in a U.S. indictment of participating in an online romance fraud scheme that allegedly targeted elderly victims and caused losses in excess of $8 million. Prosecutors have charged him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and a forfeiture specification, offences that could carry a prison term of up to 20 years if he is extradited and convicted.
Legal representatives for Abu Trica have described his rearrest as administrative and indicated that he was taken to NACOC headquarters following the High Court’s ruling.
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