The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has foiled a major attempt to smuggle firearms and live ammunition into Ghana through the Tema Port following enhanced surveillance and proactive preventive security measures.
The operation resulted in the interception of an assault rifle, two pistols and 610 rounds of live ammunition, which had allegedly been concealed inside a consignment declared as personal effects.
The interception followed an intelligence-led physical examination after Customs officers identified suspicious discrepancies in the cargo manifest. The consignment was subsequently subjected to further inspection, leading to the discovery of the firearms, ammunition and related items concealed within the shipment.
The successful interception prevented the restricted items from entering the country and has highlighted the importance of strengthened security checks at Ghana’s ports of entry.
An official reportedly commended the operational leadership for strengthening intelligence sharing and physical verification standards across Ghana’s border points.
According to the official, the successful interception demonstrated the impact of the enhanced preventive security strategy, particularly the strengthening of risk profiling and the use of intelligence tools to identify suspicious consignments.
The official said the measures were aimed at making it increasingly difficult for smugglers to exploit Ghana’s ports by disguising restricted items as ordinary personal effects.
Following the discovery, Customs officials arrested the key suspect associated with the shipment and handed the suspect over to the Ghana Police Service together with the seized exhibits.
The security task force said the suspect had been formally transferred to the Police to facilitate a comprehensive criminal investigation and possible prosecution.
Police investigations are ongoing to establish the origin of the weapons and determine whether other persons were involved in the attempted smuggling operation.
The interception comes amid increased attention to the movement of firearms and ammunition through Ghana’s ports and the need for stronger preventive measures to detect restricted items before they enter the country.
The latest development also underscores the importance of intelligence-led inspections, risk profiling and physical examination in strengthening Ghana’s border security and preventing restricted items from being illegally brought into the country.
Story by Freedom Etsey Lavoe
