COCOA SMUGGLING ON THE RISE IN WR (NOV 17, BACK PAGE)

COCOA smuggling has assumed an alarming proportion in the Western Region, apparently because of the disparity between the producer prices paid in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
To counter any arrest, the smugglers are also said to have armed themselves with sophisticated weapons for self-defence.
The smuggling, according to the communities, if not checked, could derail the country’s hope of achieving its target of cocoa production this year.
The situation is said to be prevalent in Enchi, throughout the Sefwi areas, and the border at New Town in the Jomoro District.
These areas are said to have countless illegal entry points and people are ready with canoes to transport the produce across to neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire at night.
The problem, according to some farmers in the communities, had arisen as a result of the numerous illegal entry points and limited security patrols.
A joint security force formed by the Aowin Suaman District at the weekend intercepted one of many trucks loaded with cocoa. The security force, comprising the police, immigration and customs officials, intercepted the KIA truck with registration number AS 7648 Y, loaded with more than 40 bags of cocoa, and heading towards Cote d’Ivoire, using one of the illegal entry points at Antokrom.
The driver and other smugglers onboard the truck ran across the border into Cote d’Ivoire, and the vehicle and cocoa have been moved to the customs office at Dadieso.
The leader of the task force, Mr A. Asiedu of the Ghana Immigration Service, told the Daily Graphic at the weekend that they would do everything possible to stop the activities of these smugglers.
According to the District Chief Executive of Aowin Suaman, Mr Oscar Ofori Larbi, the target set by the government this year was unlikely to be achieved if urgent steps were not taken to stop the smugglers.
He said smuggling in the district was a daily activity in which people deposited bags of cocoa in the bushes on the banks of the rivers and used canoes to ferry them across to Cote d’Ivoire.
“The formation of the task force under the District Security Council became necessary because of the threat the smuggling poses to the target the country set this year,” he added.