A joint task force led by the Tree Crop Development Authority (TCDA) has seized three Man Diesel cargo trucks containing smuggled cooking oil at the Tetteh Quarshie roundabout in Accra.
Dr. Paul Amaning, the leader of the task force, revealed to the media that National Security operatives received intelligence about the vegetable oil being smuggled into the country from Togo.
The intercepted oil was brought in through unapproved routes to evade taxes and import duties.
Dr. Amaning emphasized that the smuggling activities represent a significant loss to criminal syndicates trying to bypass legal channels.
He explained that the task force’s mission is to ensure that traders importing vegetable oil pay the necessary taxes while also assisting locally manufactured cooking oils sold in the market to boost the economy and create jobs throughout the value chain.
He also warned the public, particularly market women, to refrain from smuggling vegetable oil through land borders into the country.
The task force, along with personnel from the Customs Preventive Division, escorted the three trucks to the Airport branch for an official examination.
The owners of the seized cooking oil have been asked to provide all necessary documentation for a thorough review by the Ghana Revenue Authority—Customs Division.
The joint task force comprises members from the TCDA, the Oil Palm Development Association of Ghana (OPDAG), the Ghana Revenue Authority—Customs Division, and National Security.
