Sherigu (U/E), March 19, GNA - The Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) on Thursday destroyed by burning 954 bags of expired powdered milk estimated at about 40,000 Euros or 640,000 Ghana Cedis. Other items destroyed included foreign cigarettes, pharmaceuticals, bales of polythene often used for the manufacture of pure water sachets, pirated musical compact discs (CDs) and audio cassettes and camouflage military uniform material.

Mr. Evans Klutse, CEPS Sector Commander in charge of the Upper East Region, told newsmen at the Sherigu refuse dump site near Bolgatanga that the powdered milk was impounded at the Paga border in June 2008 from an importer entering the country from Burkina Faso. He said at the time of interception the importers claimed that the milk belonged to Euro Foods, an Accra-based manufacturing company but that when contacted the company's management denied ownership of the commodity.

"We detected then that the expiry date of the milk was due, so CEPS decided not to continue with the clearance procedures but rather to issue seizure notice to the owners since it had become unwholesome and unfit for human consumption," he said. Concerning the pharmaceuticals, foreign cigarettes and musical CDs, the Sector Commander said his men on patrol duties confiscated them from smugglers who tried to bring them into the country through unapproved routes. He appealed to residents of the area to support CEPS' efforts to stamp out smuggling by providing personnel of the Service with information regarding the activities of smugglers. Mr. Klutse also appealed to the general public to boycott pirated music CDs and tape-cassettes, as that was the only way to put a halt to piracy in the entertainment industry. 19 March 09