The illicit cigarettes and Tapentadol being offloaded from the truck
Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), have intercepted illicit cigarettes, Tapentadol and other illegal goods in the Northern Region.
The interception of the illicit goods follows a swoop conducted by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority along the Nanton-Gushegu road in the Northern Region upon intelligence.
The illicit goods included 450 boxes of Business Royal Cigarettes and five boxes of Tapentadol tablets amounting to GH¢20.6 million.
The vehicle transporting the illicit goods, with registration number GS 7592-13, refused to stop at the Gaha-Gushegu road checkpoint when ordered to stop by the customs officials, raising suspicions that the vehicle might be carrying illegal goods.
The customs officials, therefore, chased the moving vehicle and intercepted the vehicle with the goods.
When the driver was questioned, he indicated that the owner of the vehicle had the documentation to the goods, and that he cannot disclose the goods being transported.
The customs officials, therefore, transferred the vehicle and the goods to the Tamale Collection Regional Headquarters for further investigations, and instructed the driver to come with the owner of the vehicle the next day for inspection, but they both failed to show up.
After the driver and the owner of the vehicle failed to show up, the customs officials then conducted a search on the vehicle and discovered that it contained illegal goods, with documentation and the goods subsequently seized.
The Commissioner of Customs, Brigadier General Zibrim Bawah Ayorrogo, who visited the Tamale Collection Regional Headquarters, applauded the officials for their swift response by intercepting the vehicle, and called for continuous collaborations between various government agencies to prevent the smuggling of illegal goods.
“We have intensified efforts with National Security, the Narcotics Control Commission, and other agencies to curb this menace, even if much of the work goes unnoticed,” he stated. His remarks highlighted the ongoing challenges customs officials face in the fight against smuggling.
He, however, assured that they would continue to beef up their intelligence at the various borders and ports to ensure that the illegal goods menace is reduced drastically.
Meanwhile, the Narcotics Control Commission has since taken over the case to ensure that the perpetrators are prosecuted.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale