Security agencies bust syndicate

THE security agencies have busted a syndicate, allegedly involved in the perpetration of various crimes using forged fax documents.

The syndicate members, mostly clearing agents, are also said to have defrauded shipping companies at the Tema Harbour of millions of dollars in freight charges.

Eight people who were picked up by the security agencies for their alleged involvement in the deal have, however, been granted police enquiry bail and are helping the security agencies with their investigations.

A source close to the security agencies, which disclosed this in an interview at Tema, named the suspects as Jeffery Ofori, Krontihene of Atwira in the Ashanti Region; Kwaku Appiah-Kubi, 52; Akuamoah Frimpong Gyamfi, 27; Kofi Agyare, 46 and Patrick Kwabena Addako, 43.

The rest are: Christian Wiafe Akenten, 40, Nana Yaw Yeboah, 31 and Emmanuel Osei, 37, a businessman.

According to the source, acting on reports from the management of Hull Blyth Ghana, a shipping company, formerly known as Liner Agencies, it was found out that the syndicate members who often cleared cargo from the company with false documents did so fraudulently without the knowledge of management.

It said one of the tricks the suspects used in clearing their cargo mainly vehicles was to send a fax message bearing the letter head, telephone and fax numbers and other relevant information of the shipping company from the country of origin of the cargo to their agents in Ghana.

The source said without suspicion, the vehicles are released in the belief that all freight charges have been paid before the arrival of the cargo.

It said another method the syndicate used was to bribe some of the workers at the shipping company for the containers to be opened secretly for the cars to be cleared.

It said anytime some of the containers were opened by management, they were found to be empty and no one comes forward to demand the whereabouts of their vehicles.

The source said the deal is believed to be common among many other shipping companies at the port and said investigations are on-going to track down on all those involved in the fraudulent deal.

Speaking in an interview with the Managing Director of Hull Blyth, Ghana, Mr. Llyod Piper, he said, the company was able to detect the deal after their principal in Japan questioned them about outstanding freight charges to be retrieved from their customers.

He said the management sent all the faxes it had received from its customers to the principal to clarify matters, only for them to deny knowledge about the fax documents they were supposed to have sent.

Mr. Piper said it was then that the company then informed the security agencies to assist the company in tracking down the syndicate.

He said the company has since March, this year, lost freight charges to the tune of about $400,000.