Unwholesome sugar pushed onto the market

Seven people have been arrested by the Police Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for allegedly diverting a consignment of unwholesome/contaminated sugar meant to be destroyed.

The three, a Vietnamese and four Ghanaians were said to have connived to divert the sugar, part of a ship load which was to be discharged into the sea after being declared as unsuitable for human consumption.

Police named the suspects as Ngunyen Van Sun, (head of the vessel) "MV Si Gon 5", Nguyen Ba Tan, 38 and Tran Duc, Minh, both officers of the vessel.

The others are Esther Ashitey, 44, a canoe owner, Tetteh Ashikui, 34, the botswain, Joseph Mensah, 42, driver and Oko Annan, driver’s mate.

Briefing the Ghanaian Times in Accra, Deputy Director-General of CID, Patrick Timbillah, said the police had information on Saturday that some fishermen were sighted discharging goods in bags suspected to be drugs along the shores of Teshie. He said the police followed up and saw the four Ghanaians discharging the items from a canoe onto a truck. They were found to be contaminated by sea water.

He said the four suspects were subsequently arrested and they led the Police to their source of supply.

Mr. Timbillah said upon further enquiry, it was revealed that the sugar, totaling 93 bags, were rendered unwholesome as a result of coming into contact with sea water and were supposed to have been thrown into the sea.

He said the sugar was part of a consignment imported from Brazil and the owners of the vessel, were directed by the Navy and the Port authorities to throw them into the sea which they agreed to do.

However, instead of complying with the directive the three crew members arranged with the Ghanaians to divert the sugar.

He said the Ghanaian suspects alleged that they did a batter trade with the vessel by supplying them quantities of banana in exchange for the sugar. But this was denied by the Vietnamese who said the Ghanaians entered the vessel while it was docked, and stole the sugar.

Mr. Timbillah said the Police were conducting further investigation and appealed to the public to cooperate by volunteering information leading to the arrest of all the culprits.