3 Grabbed With Rosewood At Mole Park

Three persons have been arrested for possessing rosewood at the Mole National Park at Larabanga in the Savannah Region.

Information gathered by DAILY GUIDE indicates that sometime last year, the owners of the said rosewood were chased out of the park leaving behind the rosewood they were harvesting.

It is believed that the suspects sneaked into the Mole Park and attempted to evacuate the rosewood but were arrested by the security guards stationed at the park.

The suspects were arrested together with a green truck that was believed to have been used to evacuate the rosewood from the park.

They have since been handed over to the Damongo police for further investigations.

This year, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources banned the harvest of rosewood in line with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) has estimated that 9,334,497 kilograms equivalence of $ 5,462,474 of rosewood was imported by China from Ghana in September 2019.

According to EIA, 112,535,353 kilograms equivalence of $64,790,278 of rosewood has been imported by China from Ghana since March 2019.

The Mole National Park Manager, Umar Farouk, who confirmed the arrest to DAILY GUIDE, said they would beef up security around the park and appealed for support from other security agencies to fight the rosewood menace at the park.

Mr. Farouk said the Mole National Park is a national asset and should be protected. He, therefore, called on residents living around Larabanga and its environs to assist the government to expose those into rosewood business and other criminal activities.

---Daily Guide