Tema Police Seize Cocaine Worth $6.9 Million, Arrest Four In Major Drug Bust.

The Tema Regional Police Command has arrested four people in two separate anti-narcotics operations, leading to the seizure of suspected cocaine worth nearly 6.9 million US dollars and large quantities of suspected Indian hemp.

Addressing the media, DCOP Eric Asamoah Asiedu said the police said the first operation took place at the Tema Harbour on August 5, following intelligence that suspected cocaine had been concealed in sacks of gari for export.

Police officers moved to a warehouse in the harbour enclave, where they found three men supervising the loading of the sacks into a 40-foot container mounted on a DAF truck.

The suspects are 31-year-old Dutch national Gilano Horwin, John Mensah Sabah, aged 41, and Alhaji Iddris Haruna, aged 52.

A search of the sacks uncovered 866 parcels of a white powdered substance suspected to be cocaine with an estimated street value of 6.928 million US dollars.

Police say during interrogation, Gilano Horwin allegedly admitted the substance was cocaine and claimed ownership.

The three suspects remain in police custody while the suspected drugs have been sent for forensic examination as investigations continue.

In a separate operation on the same day, police at Tsopoli intercepted an Opel taxi carrying four sacks of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.

The vehicle was stopped after a chase involving officers from Akuse Police and commercial motor riders. However, a Hyundai H100 bus believed to be transporting additional sacks managed to escape.

The driver of the taxi, identified as Eric Tetteh, was arrested and allegedly admitted transporting the suspected narcotics from a village near Akuse.

Police say efforts are underway to arrest those who escaped with a fifth sack and track down the Hyundai H100 bus.

The Tema Regional Police Command says the two operations demonstrate its resolve to clamp down on drug trafficking and has appealed to the public to provide information that could lead to the arrest of the remaining suspects.

Investigations into both cases are ongoing.

REPORTER: AHIABOR AUGUSTINE*