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National Security Uncovers A Ring Behind The Disappearance OF Cars The National Security Capo, Col. Larry Gbevlo Lartey, has proven his efficiency. As a result of his strenuous efforts to clamp down on CEPS officials involved in a syndicate that condones with Clearing Agents to illegally clear goods, especially vehicles, at the Ports, National Security operatives have uncovered the source of all the anomalies. It is a top CEPS official that leads the ring! Since our two reports published on Wednesday, 23 September 2009 and Thursday, 1 October 2009, all of which indicated that the National Security boss and his officers had been dazed by the vanishing of vehicles at the port, the National Security Capo intensified investigations into the criminal acts and is coming down hard on the perpetrators. Last Friday, 6 November 2009, National Security operatives at the Tema Port intercepted the illegal delivery of seven posh cars that arrived at the port in three 40-footer containers. But for the intervention of the National Security operatives, CEPS, a Clearing Agency (name withheld) and GHPA Security would have succeeded in clearing the cars without due processes, which would have robbed the state of revenue, and rather enrich individual CEPS officials. Similarly, on Monday, 9 November 2009, another incident occurred in which three cars in one forty-footer container were also intercepted by National Security officials. According to our sources at the Port, the National Security operatives have uncovered a ring that operates at the Port to illegally release cars. As it appeared in our earlier reports, containers with seals intact on them had been opened without anything in them, whereas their freight documents indicated that they were loaded with vehicles which were top rated cars and goods but no one saw how they were cleared. Our source indicates that the ring is made up of CEPS officials and clearing agents who connive and collaborate to illegally clear goods to steal money that should go to the state. According to the official, there is a standard system through which clearing of vehicles at the Ports goes before deliver, and it is illegal if vehicles are cleared without going through the due procedures. The due procedure is that the CEPS at the Port has a system called GC Net, which stands for the computerized Customs Clearing System. It works in such a way that vehicles that overstay at the ports for more than the permissible period can no longer be released since the computerized GC Net system would have blocked any attempt to render the vehicles unrestricted and cleared from the port. However, the government, being compassionate by giving a human face to the approach, extended the grace period for clearing from 14 to 30 days, and now 120 days. After this period all those unable to clear their vehicles will have them confiscated to the state by law, and auctioned to recoup the money due the state. Our sources allege that a top CEPS officer in charge of the computerized system at the Tema Port, breaks into the GC Net System to unblock data of vehicles supposed to be confiscated which enables them to be sneaked out from the port. The sources said after intensification of security at the port by the National Security, the first batch of seven vehicles was intercepted. Later, three more cars that were in a container were also intercepted. All these vehicles were released on the instruction of the CEPS boss in charge of the computerized system. When National Security operatives confronted CEPS officials, they claimed the owners had paid duties to clear them, but this is illegal. The illegality, as our sources further explained, is that the system of operation at the port and harbor with regard to un-stuffing containers and clearing vehicles is that there is a statutory Confiscated Vehicle Committee formed by an Act of Parliament at the Port that scrutinizes all applications for extension for clearance to ensure security and protection of revenue to the state. But the CEPS boss in charge of the GC Net Computer has for some years now acted in the same manner he is doing today, thereby corrupting the system to the detriment of the state.The lining of CEPS official�s pocket has for some years now been the trend at the nation�s Ports. This has made it possible for the smuggling out of goods through the connivance of CEPS officials, GHPA security and clearing agents. We will bring you exclusive and names the CEPS goons destroying the system in subsequent publications.