CEPS haul hemp concealed as ‘local rice’
The Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has intercepted 2,172 slabs suspected to be Indian Hemp at the Honuta border post in the Ho West district of the Volta Region.
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Four suspects have been arrested in connection with the haul. They are driver, Mohammed Umaru; his mate Wahab Abdulai; owner of the contraband, Stephen Avega; and Evans Isahaku, loader.
The illegal consignment was being conveyed in a KIA truck with registration number GE 1782-11 and loaded from Kpeve towards the Republic of Togo.
The Assistant Commissioner of CEPS in charge of Ho sector, Mr Frank Cudjoe Ashong disclosed that on Sunday the vehicle pulled up at the border post at 8.15am with the items declared to be local rice.
Wrong declaration of goods
He said upon a thorough check by customs officers at the border post, a hard substance was detected and was found to be the 2,172 slabs suspected to be Indian Hemp which were concealed in 85 bags.
Mr Ashong said the driver and mate of the vehicle, the owner of the load and a loader were arrested and handed over to the Narcotics Control Board together with the intercepted substance for further investigation in Accra.
He said the supply chain from cultivation, compression and packaging will be traced with the view to curbing dealings with the illicit commodity and asked the public to release information to security agencies to help expose more suspects.
Warning to smugglers
The chief revenue officer of CEPS at the Honuta border post, Mr Thomas Addo-Twum warned smugglers to rethink about their nefarious activities adding, that if they think they are birds who can fly without perching, they are also hunters who can shoot without missing.
