Four arraigned for smuggling GH¢1 million worth of cocoa beans to accra

Four individuals have been brought before the Dansoman Circuit Court for allegedly transporting cocoa beans illegally, valued at over GH¢1,000,000.

Kofi Boateng, a driver; Seth Kwabena Baffour, a driver’s assistant; Joseph Yakubu, a driver; and Amonsah Paul, also a driver’s assistant, are accused of hiding 350 bags of cocoa beans in a cargo truck, with plantains loaded on top of them.

They have entered a not guilty plea to three charges of transporting cocoa beans from Tepa to Accra without proper authorization, in a court session overseen by Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit.

Their pleas were recorded on Wednesday, June 4, 2025.

Boateng has been granted bail set at GH¢500,000, requiring three sureties, one of whom must be justified, with two of the sureties being public servants earning at least GH¢2,000.

Baffour has also been granted bail, amounting to GH¢650,000, with similar conditions regarding sureties.

In contrast, Yakubu and Amonsah have been granted bail of GH¢100,000, with three sureties, two of whom must be public servants, and one must provide justification.

The accused are required to deposit their Ghana cards at the court registry.

According to the case details, the complainant, Patrick Ocansey, serves as a Principal Service Officer at Ghana Cocoabod, while Boateng is the driver responsible for a cargo truck registered as GN 8967-17, which was loaded with 159 bags of cocoa beans.

Baffour is the driver of another cargo truck, registered as AS 4066-21, which contained 198 bags of cocoa beans.

Yakubu and Paul are both assistants to the drivers.

On May 30, 2025, around 8:30 am, the complainant received information that the aforementioned trucks, loaded with cocoa beans, were parked at the Dome market.

The complainant, accompanied by a team of police officers, went to the location, arrested the accused, and took them to the Accra Central Police station.