Customs officials intercept suspected fake dollars

Aflao (V/R), May 18, GNA - Suspected fake United States dollar bills amounting to about 2.6 million which were concealed on an Accra-bound Nigerian registered commercial vehicle has been intercepted by Customs officers at Sogakope on the main Aflao-Accra highway, the district police chief said at the weekend.

Ibrahim Adams, 35, the Ghanaian driver of the BMW saloon with registration number AA 331 KNN, admitted knowledge of the money and has been detained in police custody at Aflao.

Mr Ahmed Isaah Yakubu, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Aflao District Police Commander, told the Ghana News Agency that Adams, who was based in Nigeria, pulled-up his BMW vehicle at about 1700 hours on May 1, this year at the Sogakope checkpoint on his way to Accra from Lagos.

He said during routine checks on the vehicle, Customs personnel noticed that a section of the vehicle's inner door cover had been tampered with and upon closer examination they found 30 bundles of 100-dollar notes neatly wrapped and concealed there. Mr Yakubu said the money totalled 2,660,000 dollars and that the bills are also suspected to be not genuine.

He said Adams claimed they were given to him in Lagos by one Lukeman to be delivered to someone at Circle in Accra, but he was reluctant to give sufficient clue for the identification of the sender. He said Adam would be put before court for possessing fake currency notes.