The North East Regional Police Command has arrested four persons at Bunkpurugu for an alleged attempt to smuggle 118 bags of cocoa beans into neighbouring Togo.
The intercepted cocoa, weighing approximately 11,800 kilogrammes, was seized on Sunday, 9th August 2026, following an intelligence-led operation by security officers in the area.
The suspects have been identified as Dickson Asante, a 35-year-old truck driver; Gideon Tab, 19, his conductor; Mohammed Mumin, 22; and Ernestina Akugre, 23, who has claimed ownership of the seized consignment.
Police sources revealed that officers acted on information regarding a Hyundai Rhino truck, bearing registration number AS-3272-25, which was transporting a load of plantain and cocoa towards the Togo border under suspicious circumstances.
A patrol team intercepted the vehicle at the Bunkpurugu Police Snap Check Point and immediately secured the occupants.
A detailed search conducted at the local Customs Office by a joint security force—comprising personnel from the Police, Ghana Immigration Service, Defence Intelligence, GRA Customs Division, and National Security—uncovered that the plantains were deliberately packed above the cocoa as a decoy to evade detection.
The four suspects are currently in police custody assisting with ongoing investigations and will be arraigned before court in due course to face the law.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana