Four suspects are in custody after the Anti-Smuggling Unit of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), working alongside security agencies, intercepted a truck carrying over 100 bags of cocoa beans allegedly smuggled from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana through the Dormaa West District.
Bono Regional Minister Joseph Addae Akwaboa disclosed the arrests at a press briefing in Sunyani, confirming that the operation was conducted at Nkrankwanta following intelligence gathered during his recent community engagement tour.
The minister said the intelligence emerged directly from his “Accounting to the People Series” tour of the area, during which cocoa farmers raised concerns about the conduct of some Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) and cocoa clerks. According to him, farmers complained that despite receiving financial clearance from government to purchase beans, some of these actors had instead been sourcing cocoa from smugglers operating along the Ghana-Côte d’Ivoire border, bypassing local farmers entirely.
“Subsequent investigations led to the arrest of the four suspects,” Mr Akwaboa said, adding that their identities were being withheld for security reasons. He confirmed that all four remain in custody and are assisting with police investigations, and will face prosecution in due course.
The minister warned against the politicisation of cocoa purchasing, urging all stakeholders to place national interest above personal and partisan considerations. He reaffirmed government’s commitment to protecting cocoa farmers and maintaining the integrity of the cocoa value chain, a sector that remains central to Ghana’s export economy.
Security agencies have since intensified surveillance across known smuggling corridors in the region as authorities move to clamp down further on illicit activity within the sector.
