Four months after his refusal to be part of a cocoa smuggling syndicate, Mr Daniel Ibrahim Bepoh, an employee of a licensed cocoa buying company has been rewarded by his employers for diligence and honest service. Mr Bepoh who is the Elubo District Manager of the company, Armajaro Ghana Limited, also caused the arrest of Anas Aremeyaw Anas, the investigative journalist and his colleague who apparently unknown to Mr Bepoh, had posed as members of the syndicate to tell the story. For his prize, Mr Bepoh received an undisclosed amount of money and a plaque which partly read: "for the show of loyalty and patriotism for the company and country by resisting the lure to smuggle cocoa out of the country and for causing the arrest of the undercover ‘smugglers’". Mr Bepoh said that Anas' colleague came first and gave his name as Eric Boamah and later on introduced Anas. The incident took place at Nzima Anyimasi near Elubo in February 2010. According to Mr Bepoh, he was offered an enticement to allow smugglers to have their way but he caused their arrest. The undercover investigation undertaken by Anas, has led to the prosecution of some security personnel and others for their involvement in cocoa smuggling as well as a ban on cocoa purchase within the western corridor where Armajaro, and other licensed cocoa buyers such as Transroyal and Diaby operate. Mr Bepoh appealed to the government to lift the ban to enable the company to operate since he is now jobless, and stressed, "I showed loyalty to the state by not indulging in smuggling and had the undercover agents arrested". The Board Chairman of Armajaro, Mr Fred Quaynortey, noted that Mr Bepoh did not fall to the temptation to smuggle cocoa because "he reflects the true Armajaro spirit of loyalty, moral consciousness and sincerity.” Mr Quaynortey said another employee at the Enchi district, Nana Yaw Kwarteng who allegedly participated in the act of smuggling had been interdicted and reported to the police for further investigation. He said the company has followed a zero tolerance policy on cocoa smuggling such that in 2006-2007 it closed down a number of its border districts and maintained very low presence in several others to reduce any contact with smuggling activities, adding: "we will continue to support anti-smuggling campaign and public education efforts". Source: The Ghanaian Times