One of the trucks impounded during the exercise
Ghana Cocoa Board’s (COCOBOD) scheme to tackle the smuggling of cocoa beans through Ghana’s borders is reported to be yielding positive outcomes.
This comes after the interception and arrest of smuggled cocoa beans bound for Togo, Nigeria and Ivory Coast.
Director for Special Services (SSD) the investigative arm of COCOBOD, Charles Amenyaglo, indicated that the smugglers were arrested in the Greater Accra, Volta and Western North regions.
He said in Accra, a Howo Truck with registration Number GS 8541-21 and its driver named Abdul Rahman Amadu were arrested with two persons (Mohammed Benjima and Ali Moro) arraigned before Circuit Court 6 in Accra and were granted bail with one surety each.
Subsequently at Hohoe in the Volta Region, a 42 year old Nigerian man, Isaac Oluwaje with 320 bags off cocoa beans loaded on a Mercedes Benz truck with registration number GX 7632-14, was also arrested alongside the driver.
The suspects have been granted bail but yet to meet the bail conditions.
The Aflao NIB command and the COCBOD SSD intercepted two other persons with 275 bags of Cocoa beans transported from Osinase in the Eastern Region to Togo through the Aflao Border between 7 in a truck with registration number GX 8579-22.
One Ebenezer Tetteh who claimed ownership of the Cocoa beans and the Driver of the truck Francis Awuah before a Circuit Court in Denu and have been remanded.
Meanwhile, the intercepted beans in Accra and the Volta regions have been evacuated to the Tema COCOBOD Take-Over Centre for reconditioning and re-bagging.
At Sefwi Wiawso in the Western North Region, the COCOBOD SSD intercepted and arrested two KIA Rhino trucks with registration numbers, AS 885-19 and AS 7457-17 carrying a total of 339 bags of cocoa for smuggling to Ivory Coast. The trucks and the drivers have been granted police enquiry bail pending further investigations.
Mr. Amenyaglo, expressed the Board’s commitment to continue monitoring the progress of the cases and also increase surveillance and sensitization of the public, on the negative implication of cocoa smuggling to the economy of Ghana to deter gullible individuals from engaging in smuggling activities.