Three persons have been remanded by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly concealing 869 slabs of suspected cocaine in bags of gari and cassava powder in Tema.

The accused persons are Gilano Jorgino Holwin, a Dutch security guard; Alhaji Iddrisu Haruna, a 56-year-old transporter; and John Mensah Sarbah, a 41-year-old clearing agent.

On August 5, police officers stationed at the Tema Regional Criminal Investigations Department apprehended the defendants at the Golden Suvineur warehouse at the Main Harbour in Tema, after acting on intelligence.

The latest interception comes months after the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) seized a consignment containing approximately five million Tramadol tablets valued at an estimated GH¢100 million at the Accra International Airport (AIA) following an intelligence-led operation.

Three suspects were also arrested in connection with the intercepted consignment. In a related development, the Police in March arrested nine public officers, including five Customs officials, for their alleged involvement in an undeclared Tramadol consignment at Tema Port.

The remaining four comprised one officer each from the Narcotics Control Commission, Port Security, the Energy Commission, and the Ghana Standards Authority.

On February 26, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) seized a shipment allegedly originating in the United Arab Emirates that had been declared to contain water kettles, kitchen blenders, pressing irons, energy-saving bulbs, and polypropylene materials.

Following an intelligence tip-off, 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.

More recently, government authorities have stepped up efforts to curb the illegal smuggling and sale of prohibited goods, including narcotic drugs, across the country. Last week, five officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority's Customs Division were removed from their positions for allegedly breaching the Authority's 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 statement issued on Tuesday, February 24, indicated that their removal was to allow investigations into discrepancies detected during an enforcement operation involving a consignment declared as transit cargo for onward movement to Niger on February 18.

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

Meanwhile, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) 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 said Ghana had lost an estimated GH¢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 GH¢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.

Although the GRA and the OSP are yet to disclose the exact contents of 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.