Communications Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, says the illegal business of SIMBoxing is far more lucrative than dealing in illicit drugs.

Persons involved SIMBox fraud, according to him, reap higher financial rewards than those involved in the drug trade.

This, he said, is the reason the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Police Service and SUBAH Infosolutions deserve commendation for their hard work which led to the arrest of suspected SIM box fraudsters this week.

The CID in a seven-month operation in collaboration with the National Communications Authority (NCA) and SUBAH Infosolutions Ghana Limited busted 17 persons including a former President of the Ghana Real Estates Developers Association, Dr. Alexander Tweneboa and seized tens of thousands of SIM cards used to illegally terminate international calls coming into the country.

The seven-month operation of the fraudsters is said to have lost to the state some $33 million. 

Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Wednesday, January 28, 2015 the Minister of Communications, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah celebrated the officials of the institutions for resisting the temptation to take money and acting to save the nation millions of cedis that were going into private pockets. 

He said the SIM box trade has become “more lucrative than those involved the illicit drugs trade” and said government is determined to pursuing the persons involved to ensure all international calls go through the appropriate channels. 

“I commended them [CID, NCA and SUBAH] highly and we’ll continue to support them to go after them [perpetrators],” Dr. Omane Boamah told host of the programme, Kojo Asare Baffuor Acheampong also known as ‘KABA’.

File photo.

NACOB intercepts SIM cards 

In a related development, the Narcotics Control Board has intercepted five envelopes filled with SIM cards which were meant to be shipped out of the country. 

According to Dr. Omane Boamah, those behind the business are unable to outwit the systems put in place to track their activities.     

The Minister said investigations are underway to lift the veil over the persons who own the said envelopes.