Ghana will no longer transit cooking oils through its borders, as the Finance Minister announces a sweeping ban on such consignments following the interception of 18 articulated trucks declared for transit to Niger but suspected to be part of a broader transit diversion scheme.

The Finance Minister, Dr Casiel Ato Forson, announced the ban in a formal statement on Friday, February 21.

According to the new directive, all such consignments must henceforth be routed exclusively through the country’s seaports.

The statement indicated that cooking oil shipments destined for landlocked countries which will transit via Ghana will no longer be permitted to move through land border collection points; they must be processed exclusively through Ghana’s seaports, where stricter valuation systems, electronic tracking, scanning infrastructure, and layered customs controls are operational.

Aside from the ban at the borders, the Finance Minister charged the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to implement enhanced monitoring and strict compliance enforcement for all transactions originating from land collection points, including intensified cargo tracking, reinforced escort protocols, and tighter supervisory oversight.

In a suspected customs complicity, Dr Ato Forson ordered a crackdown on customs officers, importers, and clearing agents implicated in diversion schemes, warning that officers found culpable will face strict sanctions and that heightened monitoring systems at seaports would be strengthened to prevent future diversions.

The Minister has also ordered the prompt commencement of disciplinary proceedings against any Customs officers found culpable in similar breaches. Criminal investigations are to extend to importers and clearing agents where evidence supports prosecution.

What happened after the 18-truck interception

Post-interception examinations in the recent case uncovered material discrepancies in declared unit values, tariff classifications, and weights, which revised the suspended revenue exposure from approximately GH¢2.6 million to over GH¢85 million.

Officials say the measures are designed not only to protect state revenue but also to safeguard local edible oil producers from unfair competition arising from diverted transit goods.

The government reaffirmed its resolve to apply the full rigour of the law, including confiscation and auction of impounded goods where applicable, and to ensure that Ghana’s customs regime is not exploited to undermine domestic revenue mobilisation and national development.

In a related development, A DAF long trailer with registration number GW 1943-09, carrying 4,000 parcels of suspected narcotics, was intercepted by the Oti Regional Police Command at Dambai, Oti Region, on Wednesday, February 11.

The police, in a press release, disclosed that the interception was made possible following intelligence gathered by their officers.

According to the statement, thousands of compressed dried leaf parcels, wrapped in yellow masking tape and hidden in secret compartments sealed with six metal plates, were discovered by the officers.

“The concealed compartments beneath the trailer were opened in the presence of suspect Amidu Jubril, aged 40. A search in the secret compartments led to the discovery of Four Thousand (4000) parcels of compressed dried leaf substances wrapped in a yellow masking tape suspected to be narcotics, carefully concealed within the compartments,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, driver, Amidu Jubril, is in police custody. Last month, a 50-year-old commercial driver, Atampugri Akanyani, was nabbed by the police after 714 slabs of suspected Indian hemp were found in his possession.

The slabs, which were hidden in nine nylon sacks, were discovered during a routine snap check by police officers at the Asanso checkpoint along the Bekwai–Aputogya road on Tuesday, January 26, 2026.

Atampugri Akanyani disclosed that an unknown individual at the Kejetia Lorry Terminal in Kumasi handed over the suspected Indian hemp to him for delivery, at a fee of six hundred Ghana cedis, to another unidentified person in Obuasi.

Meanwhile, Atampugri Akanyani has since been arraigned before the court. Last year, 600 fertiliser sacks of Indian hemp, weighing a total of 47,530kg and valued at about GH¢4.2 billion, were destroyed by the Volta Regional Police Command.

The destruction exercise, which occurred on Monday, November 17, was carried out pursuant to an order from the Ho Circuit Court. This information was contained in a statement issued on Thursday, November 20, and signed by Chief Inspector Francis Kwaru Gomado, Head of the Public Affairs Unit of the Volta Region.

Parts of the statement read, “the six hundred sacks contained a total of forty-seven thousand, five hundred and thirty kilograms (47,530kg) with an estimated face value of about 4.2 billion Ghana cedis.”

In August 2025, the Central East Regional Police Command arrested two suspects in possession of 519 compressed parcels of dried leaves suspected to be Indian Hemp.

The suspects, identified as Eric Nkyeke, 30, and Francis Klu, 28, were held in police custody. The Toyota Hilux pick-up with registration number GS 6849-21 was impounded at Nyanyano in the Gomoa East District.

This was revealed in a statement issued by the Nyanyano District police command. In June, the police nabbed two suspects for having in their possession 84 parcels of substances suspected to be Indian hemp.

The police team, through an intelligence-led operation on June 15, intercepted an Opel Astra vehicle with registration number GT 6430-13 driven by suspect John Dzeble, together with suspect Adzobi Mesiwotso on board.

A search conducted on the vehicle revealed 86 compressed parcels of substances suspected to be Indian hemp, discreetly concealed in the inner compartments of the car, including the engine, doors, and boot.

In addition to the compressed parcels, the officers retrieved a portable measuring scale machine and a roll of masking tape, also concealed, believed to have been used in the packaging of the substances. The suspects, along with the exhibits, are currently in Police custody, assisting with investigations.

The Oti Regional Police Command has commended the swift and professional action of the personnel involved in the arrest and reaffirmed its commitment to curbing drug trafficking and related criminal activities.

The arrest comes after an incident where the police captured one Christopher Partey for unlawful possession of 40 parcels of a substance suspected to be narcotic drugs.

The National Highway Patrol Unit of the Ghana Police Service arrested on Wednesday, June 11.

The team intercepted a Ford Transit bus with registration number AS 524-16 near the outskirts of Ayikuma township while on routine patrol along the Accra–Somanya corridor.