The Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) has arrested a driver of the Nigerian High Commission for attempting to smuggle 36 video decks valued at ?38 million into the country.
Francis Yaw Diaba, 36, a native of Wegbe-Kpalime near Ho, together with an accomplice, Adu Darko now at large were said to have used an old number plate (CD 2288 C) belonging to the Nigeria High Commission to commit the crime.
The items retrieved include 27 Panasonic, eight Sharp and one Samsug video cassette recorders .
Francis told a group of journalists at the CEPS Headquaters in Accra yesterday that, he was contracted by his accomplice, who he described as an Accra-based businessman to carry out the operation from Nigeria.
He explained that he needed money to “discharge my ailing father from the hospital whose condition was deteriorating with each passing day”.
Mr Diaba said consequently Mr Adu Darko promised him ?1 million for every ‘operation’ carried out successfully.
According to him, they successfully carried out their first operation with 40 video cassette recorders which they smuggled into the country with the diplomatic licence plate on the car without CEPS officials at the Aflao border detecting and was paid ?1 million.
Diplomatic vehicles he said are normally not subjected to rigorous customs scrutiny.
The suspect said in their second attempt last Saturday, on reaching the Aflao border from Nigeria, the CEPS officials on duty unusually demanded to search the car and also demanded the particulars of the vehicle.
Mr Diaba said his accomplice who was with him at the time, bolted when the particulars of the BMW car were being examined.
According to the Public Relations Director of CEPS, Ms Annie Anipa, the suspect was arrested at about 7.30 pm upon a tip-off when he attempted to cross the border.
She said CEPS is presently holding the suspect for further investigation to enable them to apprehend the other suspect.
She said “meanwhile Customs has confiscated the vehicle and the items and will dispose them of at the appropriate time”.
She appealed to the general public to report activities of such persons to CEPS to maximise revenue.
She said a source at the Nigeria High Commission has confirmed the diplomatic number plate as belonging to the commission and the driver as a full time employee of the commission.
According to Ms Anipa, the Nigerian High Commission has, for a very long time abandoned the use of the said number plate.
Francis Yaw Diaba is married with a pregnant wife and a child.
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