A/R: Police Arrest Driver with 714 Slabs of Suspected Indian Hemp in Bekwai
Police intercepted a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter bus carrying the narcotics during a routine checkpoint operation
- Ashanti South Police arrested a 50-year-old driver after intercepting 714 slabs of suspected Indian hemp in Bekwai
- The drugs were discovered in nine nylon sacks inside a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter bus during a routine checkpoint search
- The driver, Atampugri Akanyani, has been arraigned
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has intercepted a major consignment of suspected narcotics, resulting in the arrest of a 50-year-old commercial driver in the region.
The arrest occurred on Tuesday, January 26, 2026, during a routine snap check by officers from the Bekwai District Police Command at the Asanso checkpoint along the Bekwai–Aputogya road.
Police stopped a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter bus and, after a thorough search, discovered nine nylon sacks containing a total of 714 slabs of compressed dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
The driver, identified as Atampugri Akanyani, was immediately arrested for questioning. During interrogation, he told police that the narcotics had been handed to him by an unknown person at the Kejetia Lorry Terminal in Kumasi and were to be delivered to another unidentified individual in Obuasi for a fee of GHS 600.
Authorities have retained the suspected narcotics for further investigations, and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter bus has been impounded.
Atampugri Akanyani has since been arraigned before court.
Addressing the media, Ashanti South Regional Police Commander DCOP Joseph Hammond Nyaaba reaffirmed the police service’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and other criminal activities across the region.
