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[INTERNATIONAL] · Ghana · 9 sources

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Part of situation: Ghanaian political calls for narcotics investigation (12 clusters)

Ghana cocaine trafficking scandal sparks political debate

cocaine trafficking Narcotics Control Commission border security Ghanaian economy drug enforcement

Ghana is facing intense political and social debate following a series of significant cocaine seizures. Majority Leader James Agalga attributed recent enforcement challenges to a 2018 policy that removed the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) from mandatory joint inspections at Tema Port. He noted that enforcement has improved under the current administration, citing 217 arrests in 2025 and the seizure of 1,497.75 kilograms of narcotics.

However, journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni and MP Jerry Ahmed Shaib have criticized this stance. Azure Awuni argued the current government must take responsibility for existing security gaps, while Shaib questioned the credibility of NACOC-led investigations due to perceived political bias.

Experts have raised broader concerns regarding the crisis. Emmanuel Kotin of the Africa Centre for Security and Counterterrorism called for systematic reforms to border security and airport scanning rather than political finger-pointing. Additionally, legal expert Lenin Nicholas Anane Agyei warned that the trafficking surge could exacerbate domestic drug addiction among Ghanaian youth and cause economic harm by triggering heightened inspections for legitimate Ghanaian exporters in foreign markets. Inusah Fuseini emphasized that investigations must target specific complicit individuals rather than merely replacing institutional heads.

Entities

ECOWAS · Emmanuel Kotin · Ghana · Inusah Fuseini · Ishmael Hlovor · James Agalga · Lenin Nicholas Anane Agyei · Manasseh Azure Awuni · Narcotics Control Commission · Tema Port

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

  • [○ 1 SOURCE] Ghana requires systematic solutions and a review of border security and airport scanner effectiveness to combat drug trafficking. www.gbcghanaonline.com
  • [● 2 SOURCES] Increased drug trafficking could lead to heightened inspections for legitimate Ghanaian exporters in foreign jurisdictions.
  • [○ 1 SOURCE] Authorities seized 1,497.75 kilograms of narcotic substances in 2025.
  • [○ 1 SOURCE] The Narcotics Control Commission recorded 73 arrests in 2024 and 217 arrests across 165 cases in 2025.
  • [○ 1 SOURCE] Suspects in the cocaine trafficking case must be presumed innocent until proven guilty through due process.
  • [○ 1 SOURCE] A 2018 policy decision excluded the Narcotics Control Commission from mandatory joint inspections at Tema Port.
  • [○ 1 SOURCE] Investigations should focus on identifying specific complicit individuals rather than solely punishing heads of institutions. theghanareport.com
  • [○ 1 SOURCE] The current administration should take responsibility for security gaps as it has been in office for nearly two years.

Sources

Manhyia South MP files suit against Akwatia MP and Blakk Rasta [newscenta.com]
Nana B's Drug-Lab Claim Sparks NDC Arrest Demand [chale.news]
GBA demands due process after EOCO’s attempted arrest of Manhyia South MP [ghananewss.com]
Drug Seizures Alone Cannot Break Trafficking Networks, Inspector Warns [thevaultznews.com]
Ghana needs systematic solutions to drug trafficking – Emmanuel Kotin [www.gbcghanaonline.com]
Bury Election Fights and Chase 2028 Victory – Kokofu urges NPP [www.mynewsgh.com]
Jerry Ahmed questions credibility of Executive investigation into recent cocaine cases [3news.com]
Inusah Fuseini calls for investigation into officials compromised in drug case [theghanareport.com]
Alan Kyerematen urges Ghanaians to make a ‘strategic choice’ in 2028 [www.myjoyonline.com]