Drug trafficking goes down considerably - Woyongo

Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, Minister of the Interior, has said the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) has recorded a considerable decline in drug trafficking.

He said the country had come a long way towards achieving this result, which had also reflected in the number of cases reported in the media. Therefore all efforts must be made to eradicate the menace or bring it to the barest minimum if the former was impossible

Mr Woyongo said this when he visited staff and board members of NACOB in Accra on Friday, to familiarise himself with their operations, having been assigned to the Interior Ministry from the Ministry of Defence.

He said the hard drug trade was of much concern to the Government because of its negative impact, especially on the younger generation.

“We are working steadily to end it,” he said. “Countries all over the world are minimizing trafficking.”

The Minister said painstaking efforts were needed to arrest drug dealers because it involved a complicated network; consequently, when narcotics control officials make an arrest they become very pleased.

He urged the staff of NACOB to continue with their conscientious efforts and also widen their network to be ahead of the criminals.

Incentives, Mr Woyongo said, should be given to those who make more arrests and promised that the Government would continue to pay the workers their remuneration so that they will continue to work hard.

He said a package of 200 million dollars for logistics for the agencies was lodged with the Ministry of Finance and expressed the hope that it would be released soon so that they could get some assistance to facilitate their work.

Mr Akrasi Sarpong, Executive Secretary of NACOB, said the salary structure of staff had been enhanced.

Very soon, the NACOB boss said, the board would become an intelligence agency as a draft bill was before Parliament.

He explained that NACOB staff were spread throughout the country and were working hard to arrest drug traffickers.