The Kumasi Circuit Court IV ,presided over by His Lordship Ekow Mensah has granted bail in the sum of Twenty Thousand Ghana cedis with two sureties each to one Abdul Rahaman Karikari 20 years, a student of Kumasi Technical University and Ali Halidu 36 years old for engaging in illicit Tobacco Trading in Kumasi.
The two have been ordered to report to the Kumasi central police Command every Monday.
Presenting the facts of the case at the court, ACP Okyere Darko , explained that On 22/07/17, the Ashanti Regional Police Command picked intelligence from the industry and Market Support System that, there was illicit trade in tobacco on the market at Kumasi business center and its environs.
He said following the report, police monitored the activities of the two and in the process arrested the two at Mayanka Asokwa offering for sale assorted cigarettes suspected to be illicit.
The prosecutor pointed out that during the investigation, 42 cartoons of gold seal cigarettes, 108 cartoons of pall mall cigarettes, 55 cartoons of London king size cigarettes, 40 cartoons of classic cigarettes, 13 cartoons of businesses royal cigarettes were retrieved from Ali whilst 11 cartoons of London White cigarettes, 16 cartoons of pall mall cigarettes, 6 packets of pall mall cigarettes, 6 cartoons of gold seal cigarettes, 6 packets of bond cigarettes and 2 cartoons of business royal cigarettes were also found with Karikari with no approval and health warning by the Food and Drugs Authority depicting that the cigarettes were smuggled products.
The two were charged for possessing and trading illicit tobacco to unsuspecting people.
