A man who allegedly carried 30 locally manufactured pistols from Sinkansy in Togo through Ghana in an attempt to smuggle them to Cote d’Ivoire was arrested on Christmas Eve.

The suspect, Akwasi Kuma, was said to have been apprehended at Pillar 34 at the Cote d’Ivoire-Ghana entry point near Sefwi Yawmetwia.

He was reported to have claimed to be visiting his brother in Cote d’Ivoire for the Christmas celebrations.

According to a police source, the suspect was carrying a spraying machine, a DVD player and a travelling bag and went through the normal checks, ready to cross to the other side of the border.

The source said just before he was made to cross, the security personnel demanded to know the contents of the bag he was carrying.

It said the suspect said the bag contained his clothing, but upon a thorough search the pistols were found concealed in the bag and upon interrogation, Kuma said he had procured the pistols from Togo and brought them through the Northern Region.

Asked about where he came from, the suspect said he was a Dagarti by birth but was born and bred in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region.

When contacted, the Western Regional Police Command confirmed the story and said investigations had commenced to establish the facts, the origin of the suspect, as well as the arms.