- Obinna Robinson was arrested for smuggling Hepatitis B medication
- The drugs were hidden in the vehicle’s body compartments
- Smuggling could compromise vaccine quality
A 35-year-old Nigerian national has been arrested by a joint security team at the Aflao Border for allegedly smuggling Hepatitis B medication across the land border.
The suspect, Obinna Robinson, was apprehended on Tuesday, March 11, around 9 pm, when security officers discovered 1,200 ampoules of Euvax B, Eupenta injection, and Hepatitis B vaccine rDNA hidden in the body compartments of a Sienna vehicle with the registration number ENU 369 ZG. The vehicle, belonging to Amadel Transport Company of Nigeria, was being driven by Robinson.
The discovery was made during a routine joint inspection, which involved officers from the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Narcotics Control Commission, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Small Arms and Light Weapons Commission, and other security agencies.
Along with Robinson, the authorities seized the medication and impounded the vehicle for further investigation.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on March 12, Mr. Gordon Akurugu, the Volta Regional Head of the FDA, emphasized that they would continue to monitor the country’s inland borders and take action against individuals involved in the illegal trade of pharmaceuticals.
He urged potential drug importers and exporters to follow the country’s regulations, explaining that medications should only be transported via air or sea borders, not through land routes.
“No drugs should pass through inland borders; they should only enter via the harbor or Kotoka International Airport. It’s clear that these individuals know they are breaking the law, especially since they try to conceal the drugs. In this case, the suspect hid the medication in the vehicle’s body compartments, including the door card and spare tire compartment.”
Akurugu also noted that such concealment could jeopardize the integrity and quality of the vaccines, which need to be kept at temperatures between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. He highlighted that this posed a public health risk, potentially affecting the health of the Hepatitis B patients for whom the medication was intended.
He also urged Nigerian regulatory authorities to enhance their efforts to maintain the highest standards in the import and export of drugs to protect public health.
