The Eastern Regional Police Command has arrested 11 men for allegedly impersonating National Security operatives and extorting money from cannabis farmers in Aboa, a farming community in the Yilo Krobo Municipality.
According to reports, the suspects dressed in National Security uniforms and travelled through several communities, demanding money from residents, particularly individuals involved in the cultivation of cannabis.
The group is said to have operated in Aboa, Osoya, Osuboi No. 1, Opesika, and other surrounding communities, where they allegedly used motorbikes to move from one location to another.
Investigations indicate that the suspects convinced cannabis farmers to pay them in exchange for protection from police raids and other law enforcement operations, falsely claiming they could shield them from arrest.
The Eastern Regional Police Command’s Operations Unit had reportedly monitored the group’s activities for several months before launching an operation based on fresh intelligence that they had resumed their alleged extortion scheme.
The suspects were arrested during an early morning raid shortly after they allegedly collected GH¢3,000 from farmers in Aboa.
Police also retrieved a silver Toyota Voxy with registration number GE 8755-26, a pump-action shotgun, and a pistol, which investigators believe were used in carrying out the operation.
The 11 suspects are currently in police custody at the Eastern Regional Police Command in Koforidua, where they are assisting investigators as enquiries continue.
