Four nabbed for smuggling over 100 bags of Cocoa into Ghana
An anti-smuggling team of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), working with security agencies, has arrested four individuals over the illegal transportation of more than 100 bags of cocoa beans from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana.
The suspects were apprehended during a targeted operation at Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa West District of the Bono Region.
Addressing a press conference in Sunyani, Bono Regional Minister Joseph Addae Akwaboa said the operation led to the interception of a truck carrying the cocoa beans, which are believed to have been smuggled across the border.
He explained that the exercise was triggered by intelligence gathered during his recent “Accounting to the People Series” tour of the area, where he engaged residents and farmers.
According to him, some cocoa farmers complained that certain Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) and cocoa clerks had failed to purchase their produce despite receiving financial clearance from the government.
Instead, he said, these actors allegedly sourced cocoa beans from smugglers operating along the Ghana–Côte d’Ivoire border.
Further investigations led to the arrest of the four suspects, whose identities have been withheld for security reasons. They are currently in custody assisting with investigations and are expected to be prosecuted.
Mr. Akwaboa indicated that security agencies have intensified surveillance and operations in known smuggling hotspots across the region to curb the illegal trade.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of Ghana’s cocoa industry and improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers.
The Regional Minister also urged the public to avoid politicising cocoa purchasing activities and instead prioritise the national interest.
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