The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for the establishment of a bipartisan committee to investigate the drug seizures.
The proposed parliamentary committee, it said, should sit in public, summon witnesses and compel the production of relevant shipping, inspection and clearance records.
That, it said, was due to what it described as a staggering rise in drug seizures across the world linked to the country, with the incidents involving consignments intercepted both within the country and in foreign jurisdictions.
Presser
The NPP’s National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, said at a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Accra last Tuesday in response to a recent seizure in France involving nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine allegedly concealed in plastic waste originating from the country.
“When drug cartels are using the diversity of Ghana's legitimate export economy as a cover, from Gari to charcoal to artefacts to plastic waste, it means they have studied our system, identified our weaknesses, and concluded that Ghana is open for business as a drug transit,” he said.
Mr Boakye also demanded the removal of heads of institutions involved in port, airport, border and narcotics control operations, arguing that the government needed to demonstrate “full accountability” for the situation.
These included the Director-General (DG) of the Ghana Maritime Authority, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Shippers Authority, heads of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), the National Security Coordinator, the DG of the National Intelligence Bureau, the Managing Director (MD) of the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL), the Commissioner General of the Customs Division, and the head of the CID.
Twelve incidents
Mr Boakye cited 12 major drug-related incidents which he said were linked to the country between 2025 and September 2026, including cocaine seizures concealed in sand-filled tipper trucks, wooden boxes declared as traditional artefacts, sacks of gari and other food products.
He also mentioned seizures in the Netherlands, Belgium and Australia involving consignments allegedly originating from the country.
He said the NPP’s compilation of the incidents put their estimated street value at more than $1 billion.
Mr Boakye alleged that traffickers had established clandestine laboratories in the country, with some officials facilitating the movement of narcotics, describing the situation as a major international embarrassment.
He stressed that the frequent seizures were not only harming the reputation of the country on the world stage but also adversely affecting both individual travellers and businesses who operate internationally.
