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By Regina Benneh, GNA

Sunyani (Bono), April 27, GNA – The Anti-smuggling team from the Ghana Cocoa Board, along with law enforcement officials, has detained four individuals accused of smuggling over 100 sacks of cocoa beans from Ivory Coast into Ghana.

Speaking at a press briefing in Sunyani, Mr. Joseph Addae Akwaboa, the Bono Regional Minister, mentioned that the individuals involved were taken into custody during an operation conducted in Nkrankwanta, located within the Dormaa West District of the region.

Mr. Akwaboa stated: “The operation resulted in the seizure of a truck carrying over 100 bags of cocoa suspected to have been illegally transported from Côte d’Ivoire to Ghana.”

Mr. Akwaboa mentioned that they received a tip during his recently concluded “Accounting to the People Series” tour in the region, which provided a chance to engage with the local population.

During the tour, cocoa growers in the region expressed worries about certain Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) and cocoa clerks not purchasing the beans from them, even though they had received government financial approval to do so.

Rather, the LBCs and cocoa clerks obtained the cocoa beans from the smugglers near the Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire border region.

Mr. Akwaboa mentioned that the inquiry resulted in the arrest of individuals (names not disclosed for security purposes), stating that they have been held in custody and are cooperating with the police investigation, promising that the suspects will face legal action shortly.

He mentioned that security measures had been increased in different areas known for smuggling to tackle smuggling and associated criminal activities.

Mr. Akwaboa confirmed the government’s dedication to safeguard the nation’s cocoa sector by enhancing the socio-economic circumstances of diligent and courageous cocoa farmers.

He called on the public to stop making the cocoa buying process a political issue for individual or self-serving benefits, and instead focus on the country’s best interests.

GNA

Edited by Dennis Peprah and Benjamin Mensah