Man, 38, collapsed at KIA with $ 1.4 million | criminality

Members of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOB) of Kotoka International Airport (KIA) have dismantled a member of a union fighting money laundering in the country.

The suspect, Darwich Hussein, 38, of Lebanese nationality, who was traveling to Beirut, Lebanon, was arrested last Monday with $ 1.4 million and € 256,000 in his carry-on baggage.

Stop

According to the Executive Secretary of the Narcotics Control Board, Mr. Francis Torkonoo, the suspect was arrested while he was checking out at the KIA.

Upon arriving at the NACOB checkpoint, Saddam Hussein was urged to board the plane with a large cabin bag, raising the suspicion of the security guards who had searched him.

Mr. Torkonoo stated that when the hand luggage was opened, it contained carefully wrapped items covered with three T-shirts.

And when the parcels were subsequently unpacked, the agents found bundles of banknotes in dollars and euros.

Hussein was arrested and taken to the NACOB headquarters where the money, totaling $ 1.4 million and 256,000 euros, was counted.

According to Mr. Torkonoo, there is no indication that the money was reported to the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The possession

The suspect told investigators that the money belonged to him and that he was the managing director of Lamo Industries Limited, manufacturer of aluminum profiles and metal forging, registered in Ghana in 2013.

He stated that the company was located at Block G of the Asokwa Industrial Zone in Kumasi, but after further investigation, he changed the story by claiming that the company had collapsed, which is why he decided to sell all his badets and hand over the money to his country, Lebanon.

The suspect also alleged that after the liquidation of the company, he worked for R. C. Rema Company Limited, where the wages paid to him amounted to $ 1.4 million.

When pressed further, Husein mentioned the name of another Lebanese as being the one who had given him the money to hand over to his trading partners in Lebanon.

Cedi depreciation

The Executive Secretary of NACOB stated that the activities of money launderers could contribute to the recurring depreciation of the Ghanaian currency and reminded companies and travelers that anyone with such large amounts of foreign currency should report them to the 'airport.

He added that, based on the activities of money launderers in the country, security agencies had intensified their surveillance.

Mr Torkonoo said the suspect would be brought to justice after investigation.