4 arrested, 142 parcels of suspected Indian hemp seized as officers reject GH¢50k bribe

Police in Ghana's Northern Region have apprehended four individuals and confiscated 142 packages of suspected Indian hemp after an intelligence-driven operation on the Bimbilla-Tamale highway, on October 15th around 6:30 pm. Led by Chief Inspector Abu Isahaku, the Northern Regional Special Operations Team, known as Red Maria, consisted of 13 officers.

The team stopped a minibus, GW 7800-14, driven by 46-year-old Alhassan Zeblim, en route from Bimbilla to Tamale. Upon searching the vehicle, they found the suspected drugs concealed in four jute sacks. The driver told the police he was delivering the cargo to an unknown tricycle rider in Tamale; he then contacted the recipient, leading police to the meeting point.

At the meeting location, police arrested Ibrahim Yussif, aged 34, the tricycle rider, and his brother, Bawa Yussif, 56, who accompanied him. In interrogation, Ibrahim Yussif named Mohammed Haruna as the owner of the consignment, and they took Haruna into custody. The suspects offered the arresting team a bribe of GH¢50,000 to secure their release, but the officers refused it. The four suspects and the recovered items have been handed over to the Regional Drugs Law Enforcement Unit for further investigation.