Officials at the Dabala checkpoint of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in the Volta Region have intercepted what the Narcotics Control Board in the area described as the largest drug bust in the region over the past three years.
The bust happened on the Sogakope-Adidome road in South Tongu when a Hyundai H200 mini bus carrying compressed leaves suspected to be Indian hemp in bags and parcels was intercepted.
It is unclear where the bus with registration number GE 3635 Y was heading to, as the only occupant of the vehicle, the driver, escaped when the CEPS officials accosted the vehicle.
The members of the taskforce had no alternative than to drive the vehicle and the goods to the Aflao Sector CEPS headquarters where the booty was examined. The examination of the contents of the bus led to the discovery of eight sacks of compressed dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
The officials also discovered two big sacks of 198 parcels of compressed leaves suspected to be Indian hemp. The parcels weighed between 781 and 1228 grams. In all, the booty weighed 215.95 kilograms and has since been taken to the Narcotics Control Board in Accra for further testing of the suspected Indian hemp.
The police, who confirmed the incident, also noted that frantic efforts were being made to apprehend the driver of the vehicle. Briefing security officials and journalists at Aflao, the Aflao Sector Commander of the Customs Division of the GRA, Ben Beckley, admonished the public against the handling of narcotics saying, �Smuggling of narcotics of all forms is against the law.�
Mr. Beckley, who is also the Chairman of the Border Security Committee, warned perpetrators of such crimes that the law would catch up with them, no matter how smart they were.
Meanwhile, residents and users of the eastern border are appealing to government to reconstruct the dilapidated arc located on the main Ghana-Togo border. The arc, which was constructed in the mid 70s, has not only cracked at various portions but also causing fear and panic among users of the border. The residents described the arc as a death trap to both pedestrians and other travellers across the frontier.
Some users of the border, Dan Bismarck, a clearing agent and Mary Leikpor, a trader from Adina noted, �We are appealing to government to do something about the arc. Our petty trading businesses are also suffering. More importantly, if the arc collapses when people are under it, we would be affected.�
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