Government’s Textile Anti-Smuggling Task Force has uncovered a principal suspect behind the smuggling of fake textile products into the country. The activities of some of the textile importers according to details have resulted in the loss of several billons of cedis in revenue to the state. It is also threatening the survival of local textile manufacturing companies.

The Independent newspaper says although the report did not reveal the identity of the said suspect, a bit of sleuthing within the security agencies has revealed that the suspect is one Zhan Yang Qun, a Chinese national resident at East Legon.

Zhan Qun was an employee of one of the major textile firms in the country but registered his own business in August 2003. Checks at the CEPS headquarters in Accra indicated that he under-declares invoices and duties payable on imported consignments at the major checkpoints in the country.

Minutes of a meeting attended by the Task Force stated, “the suspect at a point in time took delivery of seven containers, but duties paid on the consignment suggested that duties were paid only on one container”.

The paper says its investigations revealed that the textiles imported by the Chinese and others into the country, are embossed with the labels of known major textile factories in the country to induce purchasing.

The security agencies are awaiting legal advise on what action to take against Zhan Qun.