Police arrest man using ambulance to traffic cannabis

The Accra Regional Police Command has busted a major drug trafficking operation after arresting a 39-year-old man, Kwame Mananyi Tuanda, who allegedly converted a private ambulance into a cover for transporting narcotics.

The arrest took place on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, when police surveillance teams intercepted a Hyundai Hiace ambulance with registration number GX 277-20 in front of Jamboree Drinking Spot at Labadi Maami. Officers found Tuanda beside the vehicle, which upon inspection contained multiple sacks filled with dried leaves suspected to be cannabis.

A detailed search uncovered 700 parcels and 473 wrappers of the suspected drugs. Investigators later established that the contraband had been loaded in Kpando in the Volta North Region and ferried to Accra for distribution. Police said Tuanda admitted to dealing in the trade since 2024.

Findings also revealed that Tuanda originally purchased the Hyundai Hiace as a regular car before branding it as an ambulance and fixing it with a siren to evade suspicion. Before acquiring the Hiace, he allegedly used a Toyota Highlander for the same illegal trade. The suspect is also said to have combined his narcotics operations with running the vehicle as a hearse for transporting corpses.

The ambulance has been impounded while the seized parcels are being analyzed at the Police Forensic Science Laboratory. Tuanda is currently in police custody and will be arraigned as investigations progress.

The Accra Regional Police Command has cautioned the public against misusing emergency service vehicles for crime and stressed its resolve to clamp down on drug trafficking networks.