Ghana now a narcotics transit hub? Minority demands probe as drug seizures linked to Ghana hit over $1 billion
The Minority Caucus in Parliament has accused the government of presiding over Ghana’s descent into a major transit hub for international drug cartels, demanding a full-scale independent Parliamentary inquiry.
In a press statement signed by the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Hon. Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, and released on September 13, 2026, the Minority said the scale and frequency of narcotics seizures linked to Ghana in the last 18 months are alarming and threaten Ghana’s international reputation.
According to the Caucus, documented high-profile seizures both within and outside Ghana now amount to well over US$1 billion in under two years.
Local Seizures
The Minority cited three major local interceptions:
On 4th March, 2025, operatives of the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) intercepted a tipper truck at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast carrying over 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed beneath sand, en route from Takoradi to Accra. The consignment was valued at over US$350 million.
Within the same period, a second consignment of an estimated 120 slabs of cocaine, valued at about US$150 million, was intercepted along the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway.
On 5th August, 2026, the Tema Regional Police Command seized 866 parcels of suspected cocaine concealed in sacks of gari at a warehouse within the Tema Harbour enclave, valued at US$6.9 million.
Unresolved Cases
The Caucus also referenced two unresolved cases that it says have been swept under the carpet.
The first is the landing at Kotoka International Airport on or around 20th March, 2025, of an aircraft allegedly carrying narcotics and undeclared US currency from Gran Canaria.
The second is the MV Sankofa affair of July 2025, in which a vessel found sailing under a forged flag and liable to a fine of almost GH¢12 million was released by the Ghana Maritime Authority after paying only a fraction of the penalty, without full inspection of its cargo. The vessel was arrested only days later in Senegal carrying narcotics.
Foreign Seizures Traced to Ghana
The statement further listed two major foreign seizures where consignments were traced to Ghana.
On 18th June, 2026, Australian customs seized 320kg of methamphetamine, valued at US$261 million, concealed in a charcoal consignment traced to Ghana.
On 10th September, 2026, Reuters reported that French customs at Dunkirk seized nearly 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine, valued at over US$260 million, concealed in a container of plastic waste that departed Ghana.
Only Small Boys Prosecuted
The Minority expressed concern that international drug enforcement agencies estimate that only one in every ten consignments is intercepted, raising questions about how much may be moving undetected through Ghana’s ports, airports and territorial waters.
It further accused authorities of a pattern where only couriers, drivers, mates and freight-forwarding agents are paraded before courts, while the financiers and high-profile dealers behind the shipments walk free.
Citing the Pedu Junction case as an example, the Caucus said more than a year after the US$350 million seizure, only the driver, a housemaid and a handful of peripheral suspects have been arraigned and remain on bail, while the actual financiers remain unidentified and unpunished.
The Caucus also accused the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) of offering no public account on the Dunkirk seizure, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) of being conspicuously quiet, and the Ghana Maritime Authority of never explaining the irregular discount and release granted to MV Sankofa.
Demands
The Minority is therefore demanding a full-scale, independent Parliamentary inquiry into possible complicity, negligence, or failure of oversight on the part of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Transport, NACOC leadership, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Immigration Service, and the National Intelligence Bureau.
As part of that inquiry, it wants sector Ministers and heads of the respective agencies to be summoned to Parliament to give full and public account of:
The status and outcome of investigations into every seizure listed, including why prosecutions to date have targeted only low-level couriers and not financiers.
The circumstances surrounding the release of the MV Sankofa, including who authorised the reduced fine and the decision to allow the vessel to sail without full inspection.
The concrete measures being taken to secure Ghana’s ports, airports, and territorial waters against continued exploitation by international drug cartels.”
Ghana’s international reputation, and the safety of our young people from the scourge of narcotics, cannot be held hostage to official silence or political convenience. The Minority will not relent until the truth is known and those found responsible are held accountable,” the statement concluded.
About The Author
