The Accra Regional Police Command has arrested 39-year-old Kwame Mananyi Tuanda for allegedly using a privately branded ambulance to transport large quantities of cannabis to Labadi, Accra.
Police say the arrest followed days of surveillance. On Wednesday, September 10, officers intercepted a Hyundai Hiace ambulance with registration number GX 277-20 outside the Jamboree Drinking Spot at Labadi Maami.
A search of the vehicle uncovered 700 parcels and 473 wrappers of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis. Tuanda, who was standing beside the ambulance and claimed ownership of both the vehicle and its contents, was taken into custody on the spot.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the drugs were loaded in Kpando, Volta North Region, and transported to Accra for distribution. Tuanda admitted to running the operation since last year.
According to police, the suspect bought the Hyundai Hiace as a regular vehicle, then installed a siren and rebranded it as an ambulance to evade detection. Before acquiring the Hiace, he allegedly used a Toyota Highlander for similar trafficking runs. Investigators also discovered he sometimes transported dead bodies in the same vehicle while moving drugs.
The seized ambulance has been impounded, and the cannabis will be analysed by the Police Forensic Science Laboratory.
The Accra Regional Police Command warned against the abuse of service vehicles for criminal activities and reaffirmed its determination to disrupt the narcotics trade. Tuanda is currently being processed for court as investigations continue.
