The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has intercepted a large shipment of suspected narcotics, leading to the arrest of a 50-year-old commercial driver in the region.

The arrest took place on Tuesday, January 26, 2026, during a routine snap check by officers from the Bekwai District Police Command at the Asanso checkpoint along the Bekwai–Aputogya road.

Police intercepted a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter bus during the operation. A thorough search of the vehicle uncovered nine nylon sacks containing 714 slabs of compressed dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.

The driver, identified as Atampugri Akanyani, was immediately arrested for questioning. During interrogation, he told police that the substances were handed to him by an unknown individual at the Kejetia Lorry Terminal in Kumasi and were to be delivered to another unidentified person in Obuasi for a fee of 600 Ghana cedis.

The suspected narcotics have been retained by the police to support ongoing investigations, and the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter bus has been impounded. The suspect has since been arraigned before court.

Addressing the media, the Ashanti South Regional Police Commander, DCOP Joseph Hammond Nyaaba, reaffirmed the police service’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and other criminal activities across the region.