A taskforce set up by government to wage war on unscrupulous people who smuggle cocoa to neighboring countries have intercepted 132 bags of cocoa beans in the Aowin District in the Western Region.

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AOWIN: Taskforce intercepts 132 cocoa bags

A taskforce set up by government to wage war on unscrupulous people who smuggle cocoa to neighboring countries have intercepted 132 bags of cocoa beans in the Aowin District in the Western Region.


Date Created : 5/21/2014 12:21:51 PM : Story Author : GhanaDistrict.Com

A taskforce set up by government to wage war on unscrupulous people who smuggle cocoa to neighboring countries have intercepted 132 bags of cocoa beans in the Aowin District in the Western Region.

Ghana which is the second largest cocoa exporter in the world risk losing its status due to the activities of smugglers.

The taskforce was set up by the Ghana COCOBOD many years ago to curb the menace and ensure that cocoa beans were not smuggled out of the country and sold in neighboring countries including La Côte d’Ivoire.

In the Aowin District however, the taskforce intercepted two separate trucks carrying big sacks of cocoa beans being conveyed towards La Côte d’Ivoire concurrently through different borders; Boinso and Adonikrom-Motoso.

Informants recruited
Briefing the media, the District crime officer, ASP Ebenezer Anim Ofori said the taskforce identified 7 main routes both approved and unapproved, which the smugglers normally ply. He said they recruited informants at all the routes to update the taskforce on the slightest suspicion.

He added that, the 60 bags of cocoa which were intercepted on the Adonikrom-Motoso route was being conveyed in a KIA truck by a Produce Buying Company’s (PBC) Purchasing Clerk (PC), Mr. Adjei Andrews who has been arrested and would be processed to court soon.

In the case of the 72 bags however, ASP Anim said, the culprits left the truck behind and run away upon seeing the taskforce.

DCE warns PBC
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Aowin and leader of the taskforce, Mr. Oscar Ofori Larbi cautioned the licensed Produce Buying Companies to desist from these illegal activities since smuggling of the cocoa beans to neighboring countries would not help Ghana in any way.

Mr. Larbi said, after government has spent huge sums of money to undertake some exercises like mass spraying and paying bonuses to cocoa farmers, they would not sit down and allow these dubious activities to go on in the district.

He advised sister districts sharing boundaries with La Côte d’Ivoire to be on guard to ensure that cocoa beans were not smuggled out of the country.

Mr. Larbi also appealed to COCOBOD to assist the taskforce with logistics like motorbikes among others to enable them to carry out their work more effectively.

By Wise Zah/Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/Ghanadistricts.com