The Bono Regional Police Command has made significant strides in combatting armed robbery and organized crime, leading to the arrest and prosecution of numerous suspects linked to a string of violent incidents across the region.
At a press conference held at the regional headquarters, Bono Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Joshua Coppson, Esq., announced the success of meticulously coordinated intelligence-led operations conducted across various locales, including Berekum, Drobo, Nkaseim, Domfete, and Ewiakrom.
DCOP Coppson detailed that these operations zeroed in on criminal networks engaged in armed robbery, firearm trafficking, and the illicit transportation of stolen motorcycles across the border into neighboring Côte d’Ivoire.
Among those apprehended are; Johnson Amponsah (47), Shadrach Owusu (alias Shark (25), Kwafo Samuel (30), Latif Mustapha (alias Star Boy (28), Mosby Owusu (20), Kofi Iddrisa (45), Kwabena Agon Azubilla Akalotey (18) and Baba Kumi Foster (35).
On November 18, 2025, a five-member gang led by Johnson Amponsah attempted to rob travelers on the Berekum–Drobo Road. Fortunately, a rapid response from a police patrol team thwarted their plans. Subsequent interrogations revealed that suspects Kwafo Samuel and Shadrach Owusu confessed to their criminal activities, identifying Amponsah as the mastermind behind multiple robberies in the Nkaseim area of the Ahafo Region.
A follow-up operation culminated in the capture of Amponsah at his hideout in Nyamennae, a suburb of Berekum, where police seized quantities of Indian hemp, along with motorcycle helmets and machetes.
In another intelligence-driven raid, officers from the Regional Police Intelligence Directorate apprehended Latif Mustapha (Star Boy) and Mosby Owusu in Domfete, after a tense stand-off during which Mustapha attempted to escape by concealing himself in the ceiling.
A detailed search of Star Boy’s residence uncovered an array of alarming items, including a full military camouflage uniform, Military jacket and boots, toy Glock pistol, Taser, live and spent foam bullets, pepper spray, multiple knives and scissors, talismans and war regalia, two laptops, swimming goggles and toffees suspected to be laced with Indian hemp.
Both Latif Mustapha and Mosby Owusu faced the Sunyani District Court B on charges that include illicit trafficking and unlawful possession of firearms. They are currently remanded and scheduled to reappear on December 15, 2025.
The Bono Regional Police Command has pledged to intensify efforts to apprehend remaining accomplices and recover any further illicit weapons associated with these criminal networks.
By Claude Kumi Abisa
