Man Arrested For Smuggling Cocoa

A 32-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly smuggling cocoa from Nkrankwanta, in the Brong Ahafo Region, to Cote d'Ivoire.

The suspect, Baah Aboagye, was arrested at the Nkrankwanta-Cote d'Ivoire border by a joint team of the police and the Anti-Cocoa Smuggling Task Force for having 61 bags of cocoa on board a Kia truck, with registration number AE 2269-13, which he himself was driving on July 26, 2014.

Aboagye has since been remanded by the Dormaa Circuit Court on a charge of smuggling and will reappear before the court, presided over by Mr Justice A.Y. Ashigbey, on August 19, 2014.

Briefing
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Dormaa Municipal Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Mahamud Yusif, said following an upsurge in the smuggling of cocoa, fuel and other essential commodities across the Nkrankwanta-Cote d'Ivoire border in recent times, the police and the district assembly formed a task force to clamp down on those activities.

He said about 1:30 a.m. on July 26, 2014, some members of the task force spotted the Kia truck loaded with dried cocoa beans being driven by the suspect from Nkrankwanta towards Cote d'Ivoire.

He said the task force intercepted the vehicle and upon a search they found 61 bags of cocoa concealed under a tarpaulin.

Arrest
DSP Yusif said when the suspect was questioned, he claimed ownership of the cocoa and admitted that he was smuggling it to Cote d'Ivoire.
He said Aboagye was arrested by the task force and later handed over to the police who, after investigations, arraigned him.

DSP Yusif said around 2:30 a.m. on the same day (July 26, 2014), the task force intercepted a motorbike, with registration number M-14-AS725, loaded with 12 jerrycans of petrol heading towards the Nkrankwanta -Cote d'Ivoire border.

He said members of the task force pursued the rider but he managed to abandon the motorbike and fled into the bush to escape arrest.

Source: Daily Graphic