For months, farmers in the remote communities of the Yilo Krobo Municipality lived in fear. The men who arrived on motorbikes, clad in National Security uniforms, promised safety, but they were the threat.
The Eastern Regional Police Command has finally put an end to the reign of terror, arresting 11 individuals who leveraged the illegality of the cannabis trade to extort huge sums from vulnerable farmers.
According to police sources, the syndicate operated with a chillingly simple business model. They would patrol villages such as Osoya, Aboa, and Opesika, threatening farmers with arrest while simultaneously offering to “protect” them from police operations, for a fee.
The group had been under surveillance for several months by the Regional Operations Unit. The breakthrough came via an intelligence tip-off that the group was back in the area to collect payments.
Officers laid an ambush at dawn, catching the suspects immediately after they had pocketed GH¢3,000 from their victims.
The operation yielded a significant haul: a silver Toyota Voxy (GE 8755-26) used as their command vehicle, a pump-action gun, and a pistol.
The arrest of these imposters brings relief to the farming communities, who can now go about their activities without the shadow of these fake operatives looming over them.
The suspects are currently being processed at the Regional Police Command in Koforidua as investigations into their network continue.