Four Arrested Over Smuggling of Over 100 Cocoa Bags from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana
The suspects were arrested at Nkrankwanta after security agencies intercepted a truck carrying over 100 bags of cocoa allegedly smuggled from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana.
- Four suspects have been arrested after a joint anti-smuggling operation intercepted over 100 bags of cocoa beans at Nkrankwanta.
- The cocoa was allegedly smuggled from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana and seized by the Ghana Cocoa Board’s Anti-Smuggling Unit and security agencies.
- Authorities say investigations are ongoing and the suspects will be prosecuted as security is intensified along border smuggling routes.
Four suspects have been arrested for allegedly smuggling more than 100 bags of cocoa beans from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana in a joint operation involving the Anti-Smuggling Unit of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and other security agencies.
The Bono Regional Minister, Joseph Addae Akwaboa, confirmed that the arrests were made at Nkrankwanta after security operatives intercepted a truck loaded with the suspected smuggled cocoa.
“The operation led to the interception of a truck loaded with more than 100 bags of cocoa believed to have been smuggled from Côte d’Ivoire to Ghana,” he said at a press briefing in Sunyani.
He explained that the operation followed a tip-off received during his “Accounting to the People Series” tour, where he engaged communities in the region.
According to him, cocoa farmers had earlier raised concerns that some Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) and cocoa clerks were not purchasing their produce despite receiving government funding. Instead, some buyers were allegedly sourcing cocoa from smugglers along the Ghana–Côte d’Ivoire border.
“Investigations led to the arrest of suspects, and they are currently assisting police investigations,” the Minister stated, adding that they would be prosecuted.
He further revealed that security surveillance has been intensified in known smuggling corridors to curb illegal cocoa trade activities.
Mr. Akwaboa reaffirmed government’s commitment to safeguarding Ghana’s cocoa industry and improving farmers’ livelihoods, while urging stakeholders not to politicise cocoa purchasing.
“Such actions undermine the national interest,” he cautioned.
