The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has arrested five persons and seized a large consignment of restricted opioids following an interception at the Tweapease Police barrier on the Obuasi–Dunkwa highway.
The operation, carried out on Friday, February 13, 2026, led to the retrieval of 257 packs of Tramadol and 58 packs of Tapentadol, a potent synthetic opioid commonly referred to on the streets as “Royal.”
Police said the drugs were concealed aboard a red OA KIA Grandbird bus travelling towards Ayanfuri, a mining community near Dunkwa-on-Offin in the Central Region. Authorities suspect the consignment was destined for illegal distribution within artisanal mining areas.
Addressing journalists in Bekwai on Monday, February 16, the Ashanti South Regional Police Commander, DCOP Joseph Hammond Nyaaba, said the bus driver, Joseph Nkrumah, was arrested upon discovery of the narcotics.
Preliminary investigations, he noted, led to the identification of a woman known as Perpetual, who was allegedly behind the shipment.
According to the police, developments took a dramatic turn on Saturday, February 14, when Perpetual, accompanied by three women — Diana Mensah, 40; Abena Neyea, 43; and Nana Akua — reportedly arrived at the Tweapease barrier in an attempt to secure the release of the driver and the seized drugs.
The group allegedly offered GH¢50,000 in cash to officers on duty.
DCOP Nyaaba stated that the police accepted the money strictly as evidence to support further investigations and possible prosecution.
“While investigations were ongoing, the suspect, together with three accomplices, arrived at the Tweapease Police barrier and allegedly attempted to bribe officers with GH¢50,000. The police accepted the money strictly for evidential purposes,” he said.
All five suspects were subsequently arraigned before a Bekwai court on Monday. They face charges under the Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), which prohibits the unlawful sale and distribution of restricted drugs and related substances.
The Regional Commander warned that the police would intensify operations along key transit routes between the Ashanti and Central Regions to curb drug trafficking and related crimes.
He cautioned criminal networks to desist, stressing that the region would be made increasingly hostile to illicit activities.
Security observers say the seizure forms part of a broader crackdown on drug supply chains serving mining communities, where high-potency opioids are often abused to endure long hours of hazardous work.
