The girls deny being recruited to transport drugs to the UK

Yasemin Vatansever and Yatunde Diya, both 16 and from north London, were held on 2 July trying to board a plane.

On Wednesday the testimonies of prosecution witnesses were heard during a closed hearing in the capital Accra.

Both deny possessing and attempting to smuggle more than 6kg (13lb) of cocaine valued at �300,000 into the UK.

'Vigorously deny'

The girls, who are both students, pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared at a youth court in court in Ghana on 27 July.

They say they were not aware of drugs in their luggage and had been tricked into carrying them.

Speaking when the girls' trial began, Sabine Zanker, of Fair Trials Abroad, said: "They vigorously deny the charges against them, particularly that they were recruited to transport drugs from Ghana to the UK in return for �3,000.

"Both girls maintain that such an arrangement never existed."

Ms Zanker said the pair were in "frequent" contact with their parents and with the British Council.

"Both their families have been out to visit and they have good telephone access. The girls' lawyers think they are coping," Ms Zanker said.

The girls are being tried under Ghana's Juvenile Justice Act which indicates their trial must be completed within six months and they can only be held on remand for three months.

Yasemin is the daughter of immigrants from Cyprus, while Yatunde is of Nigerian descent.