800 Boxes of ammo seized; Owner arrested in Techiman

A driver of an O.A. Travel and Tour bus, a private transport company, and his conductor have been arrested after police discovered 800 packages of live shotgun cartridges in the luggage compartment of the bus on the Accra-Nsawam road.

The driver, Kojo Billy, 41, and his conductor, Abraham Yorke, 23, were arrested at the Dobro Police Barrier on the Accra-Nsawam highway while they were in charge of a bus full of passengers bound for Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region.

Apart from the seizure of the ammunition, which was packed in boxes labelled “250 shotgun cartridges, 12 gauge”, the bus has also been impounded by the police.

Another man, identified only as Alhaji Wenchi, a resident of Techiman, has also been arrested after the driver mentioned him as the owner of the ammunition.

Arrest

Briefing journalists in Accra, the Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Tetteh Yohuno, said about 8:30 p.m. on July 21, 2015, policemen on duty at the barrier, acting on intelligence, intercepted the bus, with registration number AW 6758 –12.

When a search was conducted on it, he said, the police retrieved the boxes of Rio AAA and BB cartridges.

Upon interrogation, he said, Billy claimed the boxes had been loaded onto the vehicle by Yorke without his knowledge.

Owner in police grip

According to Mr Yohuno, Billy told the police that the goods were meant for a man identified only as Alhaji Wenchi in Techiman.

Based on the information, he said, the police in Techiman immediately mounted a search for Alhaji Wenchi, and through “investigations Alhaji Wenchi, the alleged owner of the consignment, was arrested in Techiman”.

He said the impounded vehicle and the ammunition were being retained by the police to be used as exhibits during the prosecution of the suspects.

“We are still investigating and the suspects are in police custody to assist with further investigations,” he said.

Writer’s email: emelia.ennin@graphic.com.gh