GIS intercepts fuel products, medicines at Paga

The Border Patrol Unit (BPU) of the Ghana Immigration Service at the Paga-Burkina Faso  border has intercepted  103 jerry-cans of fuel products and 62 cartons of assorted medicines which were being smuggled into Burkina Faso.

The Sector Commander and acting Upper East Regional Commander of the Ghana Immigration Service, Assistant Comptroller, Mr Faisal Disu, who briefed the media during a handing over ceremony of the confiscated items to the Ghana Revenue Authority of the Customs Division at  Paga in the Upper East Region, said personnel of the unit also impounded a mini bus, two saloon cars and a motorbike, all with Burkinabe registered numbers, that were used to transport the smuggled goods.

"Since the beginning of this year, more than 100 empty jerry-cans have been seized by the Border Patrol Unit . This has put a big dent in the operations of smugglers as they have run short of containers to carry out their nefarious activities", he stated.

Mr Disu said smuggling across the country's borders presented a major challenge to National Security.

According to him, smuggling of fuel products, fertilizer, pharmaceutical products, foreign currency and human beings were endemic in the Paga catchment area.

He, however, noted that the smuggling of fuel products had been on the increase due to the fact that the products were easily available at the numerous filling stations in the area.

"The many unapproved routes in the catchment area also promote the movement of smugglers and their cargo in and out of the country. It  therefore comes as no surprise when the statistics on national petroleum consumption puts the Upper East Region only second to Greater Accra  Region".

Since the launching of the Border Patrol Unit in 2006, he said BPU had chalked up several successes in the interception of goods and persons using unapproved routes.

The Senior Collector and Officer in-charge of Prevention of the Ghana Revenue Authority Customs Division at Paga, Mr. Emmanuel Lawson, who received the items, commended personnel of the BPU of the Ghana Immigration Service for their dedication to duty.

Story by Alhandu Abdul-Hamid