Court fines illegal currency traffickers

Sunyani Aug 1, GNA- Police have arrested five suspected black market operators at the main market at Sampa in Brong Ahafo for illegally exchanging foreign currencies for cedis. Obah Andrew, 30, businessman, George Nketia, 36, unemployed, Abu Toure, 25, businessman, Asomah Watara, 22, unemployed and Alhassan Mohammed, 22, unemployed, have been arraigned before Sampa District Magistrate Court.

They pleaded guilty to a charge of currency trafficking and were fined 800,000 cedis each.

The prosecution said the accused and others now on the run had for sometime engaged in the trafficking in various foreign currencies including CFA at Sampa market without licence.

He said the police mounted a swoop on June 16, this year and the accused were arrested.

More than 229,150 CFA and about eight million cedis retrieved from them were later given back to them after paying the fines, the prosecution said.