The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) says it carrying out detailed investigations into circumstances surrounding the alleged missing of 100.10gm of substances suspected to be narcotics.
According to the Customs Division, the investigation is looking at the handling and storage of the missing substance.
This was made known in a statement signed by Florence Asante, Assistant Commissioner in charge of Communications and Public Affairs at the GRA.
The statement said the suspected narcotics in question were confiscated after a joint operations at the Kpogle Border post in the Volta Region on Friday, June 5, 2020.
It stated that officers of the Customs Division on duty on that date, together with other security operatives at the Kpoglo border post, intercepted a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado vehicle with registration number LSR 815 FV from Lagos Nigeria.
It added that upon further investigation, some substances suspected to be narcotics and an amount of money in foreign currency amounting to $200,000 were found in the vehicle.
“Unfortunately, the driver of the vehicle fled the scene. All the items that were found in the vehicle were documented by the officers of the joint security operations at Aflao and handed over to the Customs Division for safekeeping,” the statement added.
It said on Monday, June 8, before the items could be escorted to Accra to be handed over to the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), local officials from the NACOC requested that the substance be verified to ascertain whether they were all intact.
“Again, this exercise was carried out in the presence of all the security operatives. It was detected that 100.10 grammes of the substance were unaccounted for,” it added.
According to the statement, customs officers, together with Immigration Service officers escorted the intercepted items to Accra, but at Dawa, the vehicle developed a mechanical fault and the items were therefore escorted to Accra without the vehicle.
“However, the vehicle was lowered to Accra the next day and remains in the custody of the Customs Division headquarters,” it added.
The statement noted that the items were handed over to the Commissioner Customs Division in the presence of invited media personnel, it noted.
By Melvin Tarlue