Smuggling at the Benin – Togo border: 2 years in prison and confiscation of 29 million FCFA demanded against a man
An individual was apprehended in March 2025 at the border between Benin and Togo and is being prosecuted for smuggling agricultural goods and non-declaration of cash. He appeared before the CRIET on Monday, August 4, where the prosecution sought a two-year prison sentence, a fine, and the confiscation of 29 million CFA francs.
Criet Bénin
On March 21, 2025, a man was arrested at the Benin-Togo border with a suspicious load containing bags of undeclared cashews and soybeans, as well as a large sum of money.
The investigation established that the cash found amounted to about 29 million CFA francs, a sum that the accused was unable to justify to customs officers.
At the bar of the Court for the Repression of Economic Crimes and Terrorism (CRIET) on August 4, the man tried to absolve himself, claiming that he was not the owner of the intercepted convoy.
According to him, he was just a middleman for a third party, whose identity remains unclear. On the charges of non-declaration of cash, he claims he was carrying just under five million, an amount below the legal declaration threshold.
Severe Prosecution Proposals
The Prosecutor’s office, for its part, was not convinced by the defense’s line. It sought a two-year imprisonment sentence, one of which is a firm year, along with a two million CFA francs fine. The prosecution has also demanded the confiscation of all 29 million CFA francs, considering that they are related to the illegal activity in question.
The defendant’s lawyers have argued for their client’s outright acquittal, believing that the evidence in the case does not establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If not, they asked for the benefit of the doubt, while demanding the return of the confiscated sum, provided the money is not of fraudulent origin.