Trucks smuggled textiles seized

The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in Kumasi, has confiscated two 40-foot container trucks fully loaded with textiles allegedly smuggled into the country.

Acting on a tip-off, the personnel intercepted the trucks carrying the goods at Akofifi Township, near Bibiani in the Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai District of the Western Region, at dawn yesterday.

The cargo trucks were entering Kumasi from the western frontiers, to make their way out through the Mpasatia border. The goods were the striped designed textiles popularly referred to as ‘check check’.

Ashanti Regional Sector Commander, Paul Kwesi Ahiakpor, told the Ghanaian times that the trucks were intercepted at the same spot but at different times, and had no customs declaration documents.

He did not mention the companies the goods were assigned to, or the amount of money they were supposed to pay to the revenue agency, but disclosed that some people had come up to claim ownership of the goods. He said his outfit was conducting ex-animations of the consignments with those people, and added that they would arrive at the monies the state would recoup after investigations.

“I picked disturbing signals of some traders mopping along the western frontiers to come in with several articulation loads of un-custom goods. So I set my men to work and we intercepted the truck around 5:30 am. We asked but Mr. Ahiakpor revealed that the drivers of both trucks attempted to influence his men to release them, but they refused