A 35-year-old Nigerian national has been arrested by a joint security team at the Aflao Border for allegedly smuggling a quantity of Hepatitis B medication through the land border.
The suspect, Obinna Robinson, was apprehended on Tuesday, March 11, at about 09:00 hours upon arrival when the security team discovered a total of 1,200 ampoules of Euvax B, Eupenta injection, and Hepatitis B vaccine DNA concealed in various parts of a Sienna vehicle. The vehicle, with registration number ENU 369 ZG, belonged to Amadel Transport Company, Nigeria, and was being driven by the suspect.
The pharmaceuticals were discovered during a routine joint inspection of vehicles and luggage, conducted by officers of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the Narcotics Control Commission, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Small Arms and Light Weapons Commission, and other security agencies.
Along with the suspect, the authorities seized the medication and impounded the vehicle pending further investigations.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Wednesday during a visit to confirm the jointly taken inventory, Gordon Akurugu, Volta Regional Head of the FDA, warned that the agency would continue to monitor the country’s inland borders and take action against anyone found engaging in the illicit trade of medication.
He urged potential drug importers and exporters to comply with the country’s laws, explaining that pharmaceutical products are not permitted to pass through land borders but must enter only through air and sea ports.
“No drug should pass through inland borders but only through the harbor and Kotoka International Airport. It is not as if they are unaware of this regulation.
The fact that they conceal the drugs shows they know they are engaging in an illicit act. In the case of this suspect, he hid the drugs in the vehicle’s body parts, including the door panel compartment and the spare tire compartment.”
“Such concealment compromises the integrity and quality of the vaccines, which need to be kept at temperatures between two and eight degrees Celsius. Clearly, this is a public health issue, and the health of Hepatitis B patients who were meant to receive the medication would have been adversely affected,” he said.
Akurugu also urged Nigerian regulatory authorities to strengthen their oversight to ensure the highest standards are maintained in the importation and exportation of drugs to safeguard public health.