Immigration officials and COCOBOD intelligence device have intercepted 79 unstandardised luggage of cocoa beans that have been becoming smuggled into Togo very last Friday.
The cocoa beans had been becoming smuggled on board 5 motor tricycles as a result of an unapproved route on the Akanu border in the Ketu North Municipality in the Volta area.
Two immigration officers on responsibility on that route ended up in a position to overpower the 5 smugglers to consider custody of the coco beans.
This is however an additional interception primarily based on intelligence and collaboration from some local community members.
The interception was done about 01:48am, in accordance to immigration officers.
Resources say there was preliminary resistance from the five smugglers right up until the two officers on responsibility over run them with one particular of the officers getting injured on the hand.
The five smugglers, officers say are on self-cognisance bail with their motor tricycles as sureties.
The sector commander at the Akanu border, Assistant Commissioner of Immigration, Felix Agyeman Bosompem, stated the command demands much more aid from the community to allow it avert some of these smuggling routines.
“Recently, we intercepted some vehicles, planting for food stuff and employment fertilizers, as properly as agro substances, some quantities of marijuana and just a handful of days back, these sacks of cocoa beans that have been al becoming smuggled into neighbouring Togo.
“We are interesting to the public that we are in this collectively, so they ought to assist us in volunteering info.
“They should really be certain that we would defend their id,” he reported.
With only two patrol vehicles, two motorbikes, with some officers fuelling and using their particular motorbikes for patrols on a massive duty details, ACI Felix Bosompem has requested for help to enable the places beneath his command receive the needed surveillance.
For COCOBOD CEO, Joseph Aidoo Boahen who was in the location a 7 days ago, individuals who proceed to smuggle cocoa beans and other COCOBOD products and solutions into neighbouring countries are devils.
“What I will say is that, these who are included in the smuggling are devils, they are devils to the nation, simply because only a devil will do that.
“You know on Sunday they go to church, I imagine and then on Fridays probably they also go to the mosque, but at the close of the working day they make your mind up to smuggle cocoa into Togo.”
Mr Boahen mentioned this when he interacted with the media in the Oti area for the duration of his new tour of cocoa farms in both Oti and Volta areas to evaluate the impact of many interventions currently being rolled out by COCBOD and govt.
The Deputy Intelligence Manager for Oti and Volta, Wisdom Dela Amehame reported continual smuggling by farmers and other folks would only deny the condition the essential revenue for improvement.
JoyNews sources say these baggage of cocoa beans belong to an particular person who purchases from farmers and smuggle into Togo.
Just one key challenge of worry to the Immigration Officers is the unavailability of a trusted telecommunication network for efficient communication at the border location between officers.
