A Chief Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service has been remanded into custody for two weeks after he was arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle a substance suspected to be Indian hemp into the Kete-Krachi Local Prison in the Oti Region.
The officer, Chief Officer Michael Osei-Bonsu, was arrested on June 19, 2026, during routine security checks before he reported for his night shift.
A statement issued by the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Prisons Service on Tuesday, June 24, 2026, said officers on duty detected and retrieved the suspected narcotic substance during a security screening at the prison gate.
It said Chief Officer Osei-Bonsu was handed over to the Kete-Krachi District Police for investigations and was later arraigned before the Kete-Krachi District Magistrate Court.
The court remanded him into custody for two weeks and adjourned the case to July 8, 2026.
The statement said the Ghana Prisons Service had interdicted the officer in line with its regulations pending the outcome of the case.
It said the Service maintained a zero-tolerance policy on drug-related offences and the smuggling of prohibited items, including mobile phones, into prisons.
The statement commended the officers whose alertness led to the discovery of the suspected contraband and said the Service would continue to uphold discipline, integrity and security in the discharge of its duties.
It added that the Ghana Prisons Service would continue to work with other law enforcement agencies to deal with anyone found engaging in criminal activities in accordance with the law.
