The Aflao Police have arrested two persons in connection with the alleged smuggling of dried cocoa beans into neighbouring Togo.

Chief Superintendent Alfred Kudah, the Ketu Divisional Police Commander, confirmed the arrest to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) and identified the suspects as Bunyamin Seidu, 26, and Dauda Osman, a 17-year-old juvenile.

He said the suspects were arrested during a routine patrol and intelligence-led operation, during which officers stopped and searched the tricycle on which they were travelling.

According to Chief Superintendent Kudah, the search revealed about 14 bags of dried cocoa beans concealed in fertiliser sacks, raising suspicion that the produce was being smuggled across the border.

The suspects were intercepted at the Aflao Low-Cost area while heading towards the Aflao border en route to Lomé, Togo.

He said that during interrogation, the suspects claimed they had been hired by an unidentified individual to transport the cocoa beans to a destination in Lomé, adding that investigations were ongoing to trace the alleged mastermind behind the operation.

Chief Superintendent Kudah noted that the Police had formally notified the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) to assist with the investigations, given the sensitive nature of cocoa as a regulated export commodity.

He explained that the illegal smuggling of cocoa beans poses a serious threat to the national economy and undermines government efforts to regulate cocoa production and exports.

The suspects are currently in police custody, assisting with investigations, while appropriate procedures are being followed in handling the juvenile suspect in line with the law.

Chief Superintendent Kudah cautioned the public against engaging in the smuggling of cocoa and other controlled commodities, warning that offenders would be dealt with according to the law.