Els: MBN360 News
Police in the Ashanti South Region have intercepted a major shipment of illegal drugs at the Tweapease Police barrier along the Obuasi-Dunkwa highway, arresting five people in the process.
The operation, carried out on 13 February, 2026, saw officers seize 257 packs of tramadol and 58 packs of tapentadol, popularly called “Royal.” The drugs were being transported on a red OA KIA Grandbird bus heading to Ayamfuri near Dunkwa-On-Offin in the Central Region.
Joseph Hammond Nyaaba, Ashanti South Regional Police Commander, told reporters in Bekwai on Monday, February 16, that the bus driver, Joseph Nkrumah, was arrested and identified a person named Perpetual as linked to the consignment.
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“While investigations are ongoing, the suspect, together with three accomplices—Diana Mensah, 40; Abena Neyea, 43; and Nana Akua—arrived at the Tweapease Police barrier on February 14, 2026, allegedly in an attempt to bribe officers with GHC50,000. The police accepted the money strictly for evidential purposes,” DCOP Nyaaba said.
All four were subsequently arrested, bringing the total number of suspects to five. They have been arraigned under the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), which prohibits the unlawful sale and distribution of drugs, herbal medicinal products, cosmetics, and medical devices.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has warned that it will step up operations against criminal activity, urging offenders to desist as the region becomes increasingly hostile to illicit operations.
