Ghanaian police have arrested eight Chinese nationals and two Ghanaians suspected of involvement in a cable theft and metal export syndicate linked to stolen infrastructure belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The arrests followed an intelligence-led operation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in collaboration with officials from the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition at the Kpone Industrial Area near Tema on March 4.
According to police, the suspects include Chinese nationals Yuxiaoting, He Jing, Xu Changjiu, Li Lei, Chen Jin, Zheng Ma, Wang Jian and Bin Bin, as well as Ghanaian nationals Samuel Ekpe and Priscilla Padu.
CID Director-General Lydia Yaako Donkor told journalists in Accra on Monday that investigators discovered around 70 workers at the premises of Sentuo Steel Limited allegedly cutting ECG service cables and stripping metal components from their insulation.
She said the stripped wires were being compressed into metal blocks believed to be intended for export, suggesting an organised operation targeting state electricity infrastructure.
Authorities also recovered more than 100 drums of cables suspected to belong to the Electricity Company of Ghana during the raid.
Police said the scale and condition of the materials indicate a sustained effort to steal and process cables from the national power distributor.
A 24-hour security guard has been stationed at the facility to prevent the removal of any evidence while investigations continue.
The Ghana Police Service described the arrests as a major step in combating the theft and illegal export of critical national infrastructure.
Officials warned that such activities have disrupted electricity supply to communities, businesses and public institutions, and vowed to work with other state agencies to bring those responsible to justice.