Ghana Authorities Shuts Fake US Embassy; Several Arrested, Many At Large

In a wider crackdown by United States authorities a fake US embassy operating in Ghana for about a decade has been shut down taking into custody a lawyer involved and search for a Turkish criminal is under process.

US visas in Africa are in high demand and visa market is a big target for organized crime.

The fake US embassy in Accra was a pink two-storey building with corrugated iron roof that hanged a US flag outside. A portrait of US President Barack Obama was hanged too in one of the walls.

The US State Department said, “It was not operated by the United States government, but by figures from both Ghanaian and Turkish organized crime rings and a Ghanaian attorney practising immigration and criminal law.”

Adding in the press release the department said a fake Dutch embassy has also been uncovered in their investigation that issued legitimate, but fraudulently obtained, visas and false identification documents at a price of up to $6,000.

In the raid authorities have also seized authentic as well as counterfeit visas of South Africa, European Union and India, more than 100 passports from ten countries, a laptop computer and some smart phones.

It is yet to be learned officially how the gang obtained authentic visas of the countries.