Four suspects have been arrested for allegedly smuggling more than 100 bags of cocoa beans from Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana in a joint operation by the Anti-Smuggling Unit of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) and other security agencies.
The arrests were made at Nkrankwanta in the Dormaa West District of the Bono Region after authorities intercepted a truck loaded with the smuggled cocoa.
Bono Regional Minister, Joseph Addae Akwaboa, who disclosed this at a news conference in Sunyani on Tuesday, said the operation was prompted by intelligence he received during his “Accounting to the People Series” tour of the area.
“The operation led to the interception of a truck loaded with more than 100 bags of cocoa believed to have been smuggled from Côte d’Ivoire to Ghana,” he stated.
Akwaboa explained that during his engagement with communities in the area, cocoa farmers complained that some Licensed Buying Companies (LBCs) and cocoa clerks had failed to purchase beans from them despite receiving financial clearance from the government.
Instead, some buyers were allegedly sourcing cocoa from smugglers operating along the Ghana–Côte d’Ivoire border.
“Investigations led to the arrest of suspects… and they are currently assisting police investigations,” the Regional Minister said, adding that the suspects would be prosecuted.
He noted that security operations have been intensified across known smuggling hotspots in the region to clamp down on the illegal trade.
Akwaboa reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting the integrity of Ghana’s cocoa sector and improving the livelihoods of genuine cocoa farmers.
He also cautioned the public against politicising cocoa purchasing, warning that such actions undermine the national interest.
The names of the suspects have been withheld for security reasons.