By: Daniel Y. D
ayee
What started as a quiet surveillance on Kumi Daa Street (KDS), a suburb of Dormaa Central Municipality in the Bono Region, has led to the arrest of a 66-year-old mother and her 29-year-old son with a stash of drugs worth thousands of cedis.
The Bono Regional Drug Law Enforcement Unit has arrested *Mary Awuni, 66, and her son Maxwell Akukah, 29, for alleged unlawful possession of suspected narcotic and restricted drugs.
According to a press release dated 4th September, 2026 and signed by Chief Inspector Thomas Akeelah, Public Relations Officer of the Bono Regional Police Command, the suspects were picked up during an intelligence-led operation.
What Police Found:
A search of their rooms led to a shocking recovery:
– 147 yellow compressed slabs wrapped in sellotape, suspected to be Indian hemp (wee)
– 270 boxes and 329 blisters of assorted Tramadol
– 14 blisters of Rohypnol – a powerful sedative often abused
– GH¢87,751 and CFA 2,000 cash
The Mother’s Defence: ‘It Was Given To Me In Accra For Delivery To Ivory Coast’
Police say suspect Mary Awuni was found with a metal trunk containing the 14 blisters of Rohypnol, GH¢72,612 and CFA 2,000.
In her caution statement, she claimed the items and money had been given to her by a man in Accra for delivery to another person in Côte d’Ivoire. However, she later admitted ownership of the items found in her room.
Her son, Maxwell Akukah, was arrested in a separate room where the suspected Indian hemp, Tramadol and GH¢15,139 were found. His defence? He claimed the items belonged to his brother, Anthony, who was said to be outside Dormaa Ahenkro.
It is a classic drug syndicate excuse — the “it is not mine, it belongs to my brother in Accra/Côte d’Ivoire” story — that police say will not fly.
Cross-Border Drug Route Exposed?
This arrest raises a critical security question. Dormaa Ahenkro is a border town that shares a direct frontier with Côte d’Ivoire. The mention of a delivery from Accra to Côte d’Ivoire with Dormaa as a transit point confirms what narcotics officers have long suspected: Dormaa is being used as a major corridor for the trafficking of Indian hemp and pharmaceutical opioids between Ghana and Ivory Coast.
The inclusion of Rohypnol, a date-rape drug, and huge quantities of Tramadol, which is fuelling youth addiction across West Africa, makes this bust particularly significant.
What Happens Next?
The suspects are currently in police custody assisting with investigations, while the Police say they will continue investigations towards the prosecution of all persons found culpable.
The Bono Regional Command has assured the public of its commitment to combating narcotics-related offences and is urging the public to continue providing credible information to support the Police in protecting communities and maintaining public safety.
For http://GhanaCrimeReport.com, this is another reminder that the war on drugs is not only in Accra and Tema — it is in our border towns, in metal trunks, and sometimes, in a mother and son’s room on Kumi Daa Street.
Story by: http://GhanaCrimeReport.com / http://GhanaTalk.com Crime Desk*
Source: Bono Regional Police Command PRO