Remanded for alleged illegal gold trading in Obuasi

 An Accra Circuit Court has remanded three individuals, including a Chinese national, into police custody for allegedly engaging in illegal gold trade in Obuasi of the Ashanti Region.

The accused are John Appiah, 22, a student; Emmanuel Arthur, 32, a miner; and Wei Huasheng, 48, a Chinese businessman.

Appiah and Arthur have been charged with trading in gold without authority, while Huasheng faces additional charges of smuggling, hoarding, and transporting gold without lawful authority.

The Court, presided over by Mr Bright Samuel Acquah, or­dered that the accused be kept in police custody until July 3, 2025.

Chief Inspector Jacob Maalo Kuubal informed the court that the plea of the accused should be preserved.

According to the prosecu­tion, personnel of the Ghana

 Gold Board Taskforce received intelligence on June 24 about a foreign national involved in gold smuggling.

Acting on this, the taskforce apprehended the suspects at the Obuasi Council area, where they were reportedly trading gold.

A search on Appiah uncov­ered yellowish metal, suspected to be gold, weighing approximately 30 grams, while Arthur was found with 34 pellets of a similar sub­stance weighing 102.9 grams.

Preliminary investigations revealed that none of the accused held the requisite authorisation to engage in the gold trade.

In a related development, the Tema Regional Police Command, has arrested 29-year-old Sophia Amankwa at Dogo Junction/Ada in the Greater Accra Region for unlawful possession of substanc­es suspected to be narcotic drugs.

According to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Dede Dzakpasu, Head of the

 Public Relations Affairs Depart­ment of the Tema Regional Po­lice Command, on June 25, 2025, the police intercepted a tipper truck with registration number GW 9768-12, whose driver had fled.

She said a search on the vehicle revealed 3,900 compressed and cel­lo-taped slabs in 52 sacks, suspected to be narcotic drugs (Indian hemp).

Accord­ing to her, a preliminary investigation disclosed that the suspect, Sophia Amankwa, was the owner of the substances.

She stated that the suspect was currently in police custody, assisting with investigations while efforts were underway to arrest the driver of the vehicle and other accomplices. —GNA

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