Five individuals are in custody following a joint operation by National Security and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) aimed at dismantling a criminal network manufacturing and distributing counterfeit Trade (DV) license plates.
The suspects were apprehended during coordinated raids in Kumasi, Tarkwa, and the Accra neighborhoods of Lapaz and Haatso (Narhman). According to official reports, the group is linked to the illegal production and nationwide circulation of these fraudulent plates.
Following their arrest, the suspects appeared before a court and have been remanded until their next scheduled appearance on March 17, 2026. Security agencies are currently tracking two additional suspects who remain at large.
The DVLA revealed that the syndicate’s operations were sophisticated, often pairing the fake plates with forged motor insurance documents to deceive unsuspecting buyers and law enforcement.
In a statement addressing the surge of illicit plates, the Authority reminded the public that “Regulation 23 of the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2180) clearly outlines who qualifies to be issued with DV plates.”
Officials further emphasized that the law treats the creation and use of these materials as serious crimes, warning that “the forging or use of forged DV plates, as well as driving vehicles displaying duplicate plates, is a criminal offence under the law.”
