Assin Fosu in the Central region has been identified as a hub for serious organised crimes in the country.
According to the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), the criminal groups have a well-established leadership pattern when it comes to their operations.
Speaking to JoyNews, the Deputy Head of Legal and Prosecution at EOCO, Leo Anthony Siamah stated that the criminal groups in Assin Fosu are involved in two main areas of crime which are human trafficking and bank fraud.
“They have a more structured look. They have about three or four layers in terms of leadership and hierarchy where there is a reporting direction in terms of flowing from the bottom to the top and there is control,” he said.
However, Mr Siamah noted that one of the biggest challenges in fighting these criminal groups is their connection to influential figures, including politicians.
“So you realize that, we bust a ring, we are conducting investigation and certain calibres of persons show up. We are talking about people who claim I’m from here, I’m from there.
“When I say I’m from here, we are talking about maybe politicians, I have this politician’s number. I have this person’s number. I have this person’s contact. And then you will realize that they try to create a connection as to why he should have that person’s contact. These are some of the problems we are facing,” he said.
In addition to their connections to powerful figures, the Deputy Head of Legal and Prosecution at EOCO also noted that the criminal groups have started using cryptocurrency to launder money into the country.
He stated that some Ghanaians have a form of cryptocurrency which is creating a lot of problems.
“If you are aware too, there is this Bank of Ghana directive that says that anyone or anybody entering through our entry points in the country should declare any amount in excess of ten thousand dollars for instance, that used to be very easy to enforce.”
“If you are looking at the cryptocurrency problem where somebody has laundered money in terms of huge amounts of money in his wallet, how are we able to identify what he is holding? he stressed.
