The National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) has named Ghanaian pastor Rev. Emmanuel Boakye-Danquah as one of several suspects wanted in connection with a nationwide operation targeting criminal syndicates allegedly involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit currencies.
Rev. Boakye-Danquah is currently at large, according to the NSCS, after four major counterfeit currency printing centres were dismantled during six coordinated operations carried out between June 12 and July 24, 2026.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, September 22, the Secretariat said the operations followed months of covert intelligence gathering targeting suspected criminal networks operating in the Greater Accra Region and surrounding areas.
The operations led to the arrest of 16 suspects and the seizure of four counterfeit currency printing machines, six vehicles, two motorcycles, as well as large quantities of finished counterfeit notes and materials allegedly prepared for further printing.
One of the operations, conducted on June 29 at Lashibi and Klagon, led security operatives to a religious facility whose administrative offices and residential quarters were allegedly being used to produce and store counterfeit currency.
Five suspects were arrested during the operation, while a printing machine and two vehicles were seized.
The NSCS said investigators also recovered counterfeit currency coupons valued at US$5,287,900, CFA623,530,000 and GH¢7,129,000.
Rev. Boakye-Danquah was subsequently identified as a suspect in the operation and is said to remain at large.
According to the Secretariat, intelligence gathered from the investigations suggests that some of the criminal networks allegedly used churches and other religious administrative premises to conceal their activities.
The premises, it said, provided a low-suspicion environment for housing printing equipment and storing counterfeit currency materials.
Across the six operations, security agencies seized US$543,000, GH¢196,600 and CFA60,000 in finished counterfeit notes.
They also recovered unprocessed currency coupons allegedly intended for further printing, with reported values of US$5,293,500, GH¢19,553,700 and CFA623,550,000.
The 16 arrested suspects and the exhibits seized from them have been handed over to the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) for forensic examination and further legal action.
The NSCS said case dockets had been completed and forwarded to the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice, while prosecution is ongoing at the Accra High Court, General Jurisdiction.
It added that all 16 suspects arrested had been formally remanded into state custody.
The first operation, on June 12, was carried out at Amuzu near Kasoa, where security operatives raided a residential compound allegedly operating under the guise of a traditional spiritual centre.
Nana Nyarko Derrick Dapaah was arrested, while a printing machine, fake gold bars, five mobile phones and assorted counterfeit notes and coupons were seized.
A separate operation targeted a suspected transnational network allegedly moving high-grade foreign counterfeit currency between commercial centres using unregistered vehicles. Seven people—three Ghanaians and four foreign nationals—were arrested, with three vehicles and US$65,900 in counterfeit notes seized.
On July 9, security operatives intercepted a commercial dispatch rider near the Lakeside Shell Filling Station who was allegedly transporting counterfeit currency to prospective buyers.
Issah Ibrahim was arrested, while Adamu Haruna was identified as being at large.
Five boxes containing counterfeit GH¢200 notes with an estimated face value of GH¢12,421,600 were seized, alongside two registered motorcycles.
Another operation led to the arrest of 54-year-old Solomon Acheampong at what the NSCS described as a regional distribution point. Amankwah Bismark was identified as a suspected kingpin who remains at large.
A white Toyota Corolla, three mobile phones, GH¢500 in genuine currency and assorted counterfeit coupons were also seized.
The final operation on July 24 focused on a hotel at Achimota Mile 7, where 50-year-old Osman Iddrisu, described by the NSCS as a key technical operator, was arrested with mobile printing equipment.
A subsequent search of his residence at Amasaman uncovered what investigators described as a fully equipped secondary printing facility. Two printing machines and quantities of counterfeit notes and coupons were seized.
The NSCS said the investigations had uncovered what appeared to be structured networks involving alleged transnational facilitators, technical operators and couriers who used motorcycles to move counterfeit currency.
It warned that the circulation of large volumes of fake currency could undermine monetary stability by contributing to artificial inflation, exchange-rate distortions and disruptions within the financial sector.
Special intelligence teams have been deployed to track down other suspects identified during the investigations.
The state has also begun legal proceedings seeking the forfeiture of vehicles, printing equipment and mobile devices allegedly used in the operations.
The NSCS is urging financial institutions, property owners and managers of religious facilities to strengthen due diligence over activities taking place on their premises.
It has also encouraged the public to report suspicious large-scale printing activities, particularly those conducted at unusual hours, as well as unusual foreign currency transactions, to the nearest security agency.
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