The National Anti-Cocoa Smuggling Task Force of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) comprising of National Security personnel, with support from the Ghana Police in Adawso on Friday, June 7, 2024, intercepted smuggled cocoa beans at Adawso in the Eastern region.
According to myrepubliconline.com’s Andy Frimpong Manso, the bagged cocoa beans were smuggled from Suhum through Adawso to Togo via Jemeni in the Kwahu Afram Plains enclave.
The impounded vehicles were two loaded Rhino trucks, carrying over 200 bags Cocoa beans each.
A team of National Security personnel in the Eastern Region received a tip-off while conducting routine surveillance within the Kwahu block, which resulted in the arrest of the smugglers.
The suspects, numbering twelve are currently in police custody at the Adawso Central Police Station, assisting with investigations.
The smugglers stuffed the bagged cocoa beans into the Rhino trucks and covered the surface with Tapoli, a clever way to distract security agencies from their questionable activities.
The plan was that when they arrive in Togo, which is not a cocoa producer, the price of cocoa will double compared to Ghana.
Upon arrest, the smugglers offered the Task force Gh 80,000 bribe to release them.
The task force however, declined the offer and went ahead to make the arrest.
The security detail Intel indicated that a canoe, was waiting at the Adawso river to offload the heavily loaded trucks of 400 bags in 15 mins.
According to the Municipal Chief Executive for Mpraeso, he said, the Security team had received a tip – off at about 11:00 pm on Thursday night which the officers led – intelligence finally impounded the vehicles on Friday dawn.
Mr. Emmanuel Atta Ofori – Snr, the Municipal Chief Executive for Kwahu South, revealed in an exclusive interview with Republic Press’s Andy Frimpong Manso that a similar incident occurred in the first week of January 2024 where the suspects who smuggled over 500 bags of cocoa beans into Togo.
He stated that the same operation, which began two years ago, has resulted in the arrest of smugglers exiting Ghanaian corridors to Togo.
The MCE has, however, promised that his district will not be used as an exit point for people smuggling Ghanaian natural resources to neighbouring countries.
He also urged his colleagues in various MMDCEs to tighten security in their respective districts to ensure that Ghanaian natural resources, particularly cocoa, remain in Ghana.
On May 7, 2024, the Task Force impounded a 130-bag cocoa beans concealed under Chippings ak Kwahu Mpraeso, Municipal Capitol of Kwahu South.
