The police have arrested nine public officers, including five Customs officials, for their alleged involvement in an undeclared Tramadol consignment at Tema Port, Accra.

The other four include an officer each from the Narcotics Control Commission, Port Security, the Energy Commission, and the Standards Authority.

On February 26, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) seized a shipment allegedly from the United Arab Emirates which had been cleared as water kettles, kitchen blenders, pressing irons, energy-saving bulbs and polypropylene materials.

Following an intelligence-led tip, Customs officers and the Central Revenue Monitoring Team conducted a joint re-examination on March 1, which revealed that the container actually held 299 cartons containing a total of 146,932,000 tablets of Tramadol Hydrochloride (250mg and 225mg), with a combined weight of 34,847.2 kilograms.

Recently, government authorities have stepped up efforts to stop the illegal smuggling and sale of prohibited goods, like illegal drugs, across the country. Last week, five officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority Customs Division were removed from their positions for allegedly breaching its code of conduct.

The officers have been accused of procedural breaches linked to a transit cargo operation bound for Niger.

According to the Authority, a press statement issued on Tuesday, February 24, indicates that their removal is to allow a probe into discrepancies detected during an enforcement operation with regard to a consignment declared as transit cargo for onward movement to Niger on February 18.

The Authority added that inconsistencies in documentation and non-compliance with established transit procedures were detected after thorough checks.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) has disclosed that the consignment in question was destined for Burkina Faso and was transiting through Ghana.

However, it failed to reach its intended destination and was instead offloaded in Ghana without the payment of the appropriate taxes and applicable duties.

Consequently, the OSP disclosed that Ghana has lost an estimated GHS 10.5 million in taxes as a result of the diversion.“The Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) is investigating suspected corruption involving the diversion of fifty (50) twenty-foot containers of palm oil valued at GHS 25.8 million…. The Office has identified the involvement of some Customs officers,

"National Security operatives, and clearing agents in a corrupt scheme. The consignment, declared as in transit to Burkina Faso, was unlawfully diverted into the local market without payment of applicable duties and taxes,” the statement noted.

Though the GRA and the OSP have yet to disclose what was contained in the transit cargo, reports indicate that 18 articulated trucks impounded at the Akanu and Aflao border posts on February 18 were carrying assorted goods, including cooking oil, spaghetti, and tomato paste, and were suspected to be part of a broader transit diversion scheme.

Transit cargo or trucks are goods destined for landlocked countries such as Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, which usually pass through Ghana’s ports before arriving at their destinations due to the absence of seaports in those countries.

The transit cargo system is very important to Ghana’s trade and revenue monitoring system. Therefore, the country is exposed to revenue leakages and smuggling risks should there be a breach in documentation or enforcement.

Such practice leaves a dent on Ghana’s reputation within the West African trade corridor.

Under the Customs Act, 2015 (Act 891) and GRA guidelines, goods declared as “in transit,” passing through Ghana to another country such as Niger, must follow transit rules, which include mandatory escort to prevent diversion of goods to designated countries to avoid import duties, thereby causing huge losses to the state.

Preliminary investigations indicated that the consignments could have led to potential revenue losses of GH¢85.3 million, with an immediate revenue exposure estimated at GH¢2.62 million.

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.