GRA Blocks GH¢3.6m Revenue Loss After Intercepting Uncustomed Goods
By Praisebell Rosemond Larbi
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has prevented a potential tax revenue loss of GH¢3.6 million after intercepting multiple consignments of uncustomed, misclassified and falsely declared goods at the Aflao border and the Tema Port. The Authority says the breakthrough resulted from enhanced intelligence gathering, inter-agency collaboration and the deployment of upgraded electronic surveillance systems.
Acting Commissioner-General of the GRA, Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, described the latest interceptions as a major victory in the fight against transit fraud and duty evasion. Speaking after a joint Customs–National Security–Military operation, he revealed that several trucks declared as transit cargo bound for Burkina Faso were deliberately diverted into local warehouses, bypassing the duty payment regime.
“These goods were declared as transit goods using Burkina Faso as their destination, but in reality they were diverted into a warehouse in the Tema enclave. Transit goods do not attract payment of duties, and that’s why we believe these goods were falsely described as such. Devices that we fix on these trucks to monitor their movement through Ghana to the destination were tampered with,” he said.
Sarpong noted that for this particular operation alone, the estimated duty value evaded stood at GH¢1.7 million. When combined with another major interception at Aflao involving misclassified and undervalued imports, the total potential revenue loss prevented rose to GH¢3.6 million.
The seized goods included large quantities of rice, sugar, tomato paste, beverages, textiles and clothing. Many of the items were either undervalued to reduce duty obligations or misclassified to attract lower tariff rates. Officials close to the operation said the consignments would have entered the domestic market untaxed had enforcement teams not acted swiftly.
According to the GRA, the upgraded electronic tracking devices installed on transit trucks played a decisive role. The Authority recently enhanced these systems with improved GPS accuracy, tamper-detection features and real-time monitoring dashboards. These upgrades allowed officers to detect suspicious route deviations almost instantly, triggering rapid-response deployments before the cargo could be offloaded or dispersed.
“The integration of technology with physical enforcement has become a turning point. It allows us to respond immediately to fraud attempts, stop revenue leakages, and ensure that the national interest is protected,” Mr. Sarpong said
Security analysts say the recent operations also highlight stronger cooperation between Customs, the National Security Secretariat, the Ghana Armed Forces and other intelligence units. The multi-agency approach, they argue, is helping dismantle long-standing smuggling networks that have operated with impunity due to loopholes in surveillance and inconsistent monitoring of transit corridors.
Economists believe the crackdown comes at a critical time. Import duties remain one of Ghana’s most important tax handles, and leakages at the ports have historically undermined domestic revenue mobilisation efforts. With the government pushing to broaden the tax net and strengthen fiscal stability, reducing such leakages is expected to help protect the cedi, improve cash flow and enhance confidence in the country’s trade systems.
The GRA says it is determined to intensify enforcement, particularly along high-risk transit routes where diversion and under-declaration have become increasingly sophisticated. Officials insist that continuous deployment of advanced monitoring tools will not only plug revenue losses but also reshape public perceptions of the port system.
