Ghana Police clears itself of Allegations of cocoa smuggling

The Ghana Police Service has denied allegations that it was involved in facilitating the smuggling of cocoa at a security checkpoint in Bawku, Upper East Region.

This follows a misunderstanding on October 9, among personnel from the Ghana Armed Forces, Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), and the Ghana Police Service over the interception of smuggled cocoa bags at the Missiga security checkpoint.

In a press statement released by the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Police Service on Friday, October 10, the police clarified that they had acted based on intelligence to intercept the consignment and were in the process of escorting it to the Bawku Divisional Police Command for further investigation and prosecution.

“We wish to state that the Ghana Police Service yesterday, 9th October 2024, intercepted the smuggled consignment based on intelligence and were in the process of escorting the truck to the Bawku Divisional Police Command for the consignment to be handed over to COCOBOD,” the statement reads in part.

It further emphasized that the culprits involved would be investigated and prosecuted, following established protocols with COCOBOD.

“For the record, the Police recently intercepted smuggled cocoa beans on two occasions within the region, and the intercepted consignments were handed over to COCOBOD, while the suspects are currently being prosecuted by the Police. It is, therefore, untrue that the Police were in any way facilitating the smuggled consignments, as being claimed,” clarified the law enforcement agency.

This clarification came after confusion arose at the checkpoint where the security agencies involved had a disagreement over the handling of the smuggled goods.

The incident briefly disrupted cooperation among the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, and Customs officials.

The leadership of the three security agencies swiftly moved to resolve the misunderstanding at the national level, ensuring that harmony and cooperation were restored among the agencies involved.

According to the police, the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), chaired by the Upper East Regional Minister, has also scheduled meetings with the personnel and their leaders at the regional level to reinforce the resolution efforts.

“In the aftermath of the incident, the leadership of the three state security institutions promptly intervened to resolve the matter at the national level to maintain harmony and restore cooperation among the agencies involved,” the police statement noted.

Source: Modernghana