Ten Chinese nationals accused of conspiring to smuggle gold have been denied bail by the Accra Circuit Court 9.
The accused are Wu Cheng Wei, Tang Da Tien, Wang Chun Ling, Wei Dong, Li Fu Shou, Wei Sheng Xin, He Shi Long, Li Ren Neng, Fang Zhun Sheng, and Zheng Xi Chuang.
Wu and Zheng remain in police custody due to ill health, while the others are being held by the National Investigation Bureau despite bail applications by their lawyers.
They face additional charges including trading in gold without authority, hoarding gold, tax evasion, money laundering, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
Their pleas were not taken following a request by the prosecution for further consultation.
One alleged accomplice is currently at large.
The Court ordered that all ten be brought before it on July 21, 2025.
The prosecution said the complainants are officers of the National Security Gold Board Task Force, and the accused reside in Asankraguaa in the Western Region.
On June 30, 2025, the Ghana Gold Board Intelligence team received reports that the accused had violated Gold Board directives and were involved in illegal gold trading and smuggling.
The Task Force arrested the suspects, while others fled.
A search of their residences uncovered 1,286.05g of gold bars, nuggets, and dust, along with ledgers, gold buying records, and receipts.
Additional items retrieved included mercury, 12 pump-action guns, 36 BB cartridges, two gold scales, and two metal safes containing casino cash chips.
The prosecution said the accused admitted to engaging in gold and casino trading but failed to provide business registration details or disclose gold storage locations.
Investigations revealed they operated outside Ghana’s tax laws.
Further investigations are ongoing.
GNA
