Aflao border police have two people in custody for attempting to smuggle cocoa.
The National Intelligence Bureau’s (NIB) Aflao Division has stopped a truck carrying 275 bags of dried cocoa beans that was headed for Togo at the Aflao border.
The suspects, Francis Ewuah, the driver, and Ebenezer Tetteh, the truck owner, both 35 years old, have been remanded in police custody pending investigations.
Due to the permeable nature of the borders, cocoa smuggling via illegal channels is common along the Ghana-Togo border.
On Monday, March 13, at around 7 p.m., the Aflao Division of the National Intelligence Bureau, NIB, received a tip that someone was moving cocoa beans from Osinase in the Eastern Region through Aflao to neighboring Togo.
The truck with the registration number GX 8579 22 was stopped by the NIB as it arrived at the Aflao-Togo Border.
Two hundred and seventy-five bags of cocoa beans were discovered after the vehicle was searched, and the two suspects confessed to the crime when questioned.
Charles Amenyaglo, the Ghana COCOBOD’s Director in Charge of Special Services, gave a press briefing on the operation.
The Aflao NIB command’s vigilance, which resulted in the arrest of the suspects, was praised by Mr. Amenyaglo.
He urged the populace to exercise caution and support the security forces in their efforts to apprehend those who smuggle cocoa into Togo through unlawful means.
Since then, the truck has been seized by the police, and the suspects have been held for more inquiries after appearing in court.