Twelve individuals are currently in police custody following an attempt to bribe members of the National Anti-Cocoa Smuggling Taskforce in Kwahu Adawso after intelligence revealed their plan to smuggle 400 bags of cocoa beans.
These twelve individuals are allegedly part of a cocoa smuggling ring.
In a coordinated operation involving personnel from the Ministry of National Security, the Formed Police Unit, and the Ghana Cocoa Board, two trucks with registration numbers AS 2653-12 and GS 4220-12, loaded with cocoa beans destined for Togo, were intercepted.
The arrested individuals include drivers, their assistants, boat operators, and loaders who were caught while attempting to offload the cocoa beans.
Chairman of the Kwahu South Municipal Security Council, Emmanuel Atta Ofori Snr., briefed the media on the arrests. He praised the security forces for proceeding with the arrests despite being offered a bribe of GH¢80,000.
“We have arrested 12 people who are currently in police custody and I am keenly interested in the outcome so I will monitor the proceedings to make sure the sanctioned laws of the land are tested. I am therefore appealing to the prosecution and judiciary to swiftly adjudicate issues of national concern like this particular one in order for all necessary sanctions and punishment to be meted out to the culprits when found guilty because they are causing financial loss to the state.
“Last month, we made a similar arrest on the ferry, which was a cargo vehicle. We have arrested a tipper truck too, but today it is a Kia Rhino smuggling cocoa, which is an indication that the smugglers are really in business I want to use this medium to announce to them that the Kwahu South Municipal Security Council will not relent but pursue them anytime they want to transit their smuggled goods through our municipality,” said.
This recent arrest marks the third such incident in less than two months within the Kwahu South Municipality.
Cocoa beans are frequently smuggled from Suhum through Adawso to Togo via Dzemeni in the Kwahu Afram Plains area.
Mr. Atta Ofori Snr. has called on his fellow MMDCEs and state security services to exhibit greater patriotism in combating cocoa smuggling. He also made a heartfelt plea to the judiciary to expedite action on this matter, emphasizing the need for swift justice to deter those engaged in smuggling activities.