Premix fuel dealers busted by police

National Security Operatives have busted a gang of premix-fuel syndicate who have been over pricing the commodity meant for fishermen. The suspects- Messrs. Papa Yalley and Philip Quashie, who have license to supply the commodity were arrested at their premix supply point at Amanful-Kuma, near Takoradi, on Saturday.

They supply the commodity to fishermen in the Ahanta West District. The suspects were reportedly selling the commodity to the fishermen at GH¢ 2.1 a gallon instead of the fixed price of GH¢ 1. 80p.

A security source confirmed this to The Chronicle and added that when information got to them about the over pricing of the commodity they stormed the supply point of the two to investigate the matter to prove its authenticity.

According to the source, when they got to the supply point, they saw a long queue of fishermen desperately waiting to buy the commodity.

The source continued that they questioned one of the fishermen, who had queued to purchase the commodity, and he confirmed to them that indeed he purchased the commodity at a price of GH¢ 2.1p. One of the security operatives, to confirm the story, joined the queue and the commodity was sold to him at the same price as reported by the fishermen.

The two were subsequently dragged to the Kwesimintsim Police Station who granted them police enquiry bail. It would be recalled that following the deals in the sale of the premix fuel, the Canoe and Fishermen Association last month, in a communiqué issued at the end of a two day workshop, appealed to the government to streamline the distribution and sale of the commodity to nip in the bud the 'fishy' deals to save the fishermen.

The said communiqué, which was signed by the Chairman of the Elmina Fishermen Association, Mr. Jojo Solomon appealed to the government to put the distribution and sale of the premix fuel in the hands of the Fishermen Association to do the sale and distribution to members.

The Association also suggested that the distribution be done in close monitoring by the Bureau of the National Investigation, to avoid any peculiar problem in the distribution and sale of the commodity.