The North East Regional Police Command has arrested four suspects and intercepted 118 bags of cocoa beans weighing 11,800 kilogrammes at Bunkpurugu, suspected to have been destined for neighbouring Togo through the Bunkpurugu-Togo border.
The suspects are Dickson Asante, 35, the driver of the truck; Gideon Tab, 19, his mate; Mohammed Mumin, 22; and Ernestina Akugre, 23, who claimed ownership of the consignment.
According to a police report, on August 9, 2026, police received information that a Hyundai Rhino truck with registration number AS-3272-25, loaded with plantain and cocoa, was being transported under suspicious circumstances towards the Togo border, and acting on the information, a police patrol team intercepted the truck at the Bunkpurugu Police Snap Check Point and arrested the four suspects.
The police report further stated that a joint security team comprising the Police, Ghana Immigration Service, Defence Intelligence, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs Division and National Security subsequently searched the vehicle at the Customs Office. The search revealed that the plantain was being used as a decoy to conceal the cocoa beans.
The four suspects are in police custody, assisting with investigations, and will be put before court to face the full rigours of the law.
FROM Eric Kombat, Bunkpurugu
