An ex-convict, Kweku Gardener, has alleged that illicit drugs find their way into some prison facilities in the country through the direct involvement of some security officers.

According to him, some inmates pay security personnel to assist in smuggling cannabis into cells.

In a viral video sighted by GhanaWeb on August 5, 2026, he alleged that some police officers are paid to facilitate the entry of cannabis into prisons.

“You have to pay the policemen on the way to get cannabis into prison,” he claimed.

He further alleged that the absence of cannabis and other narcotics used by inmates can lead to tension and violence among prisoners.

“When there is no cannabis in prison, it breeds confusion and fights in the cells, which leads to some inmates getting injured,” he stated.

Turning his attention to the prevalence of drug abuse among prisoners, he explained that some inmates use it as a way of coping with the psychological pressure associated with incarceration.

“If you have stayed in such a facility and there is even a shortage of tobacco, there will be casualties. They smoke to escape depression. I believe the active chemical in cannabis subdues the anger of prisoners,” he added.

His comments come after the Minister of the Interior, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, recently raised concerns about the increasing rate of drug trafficking within Ghana’s prisons.

Our prisons have become open drug markets - Interior minister laments

He attributed the situation to the lack of proper security and surveillance infrastructure, thereby turning the prisons into hotspots for illicit trade.

Muntaka stressed that, in the absence of modern technology such as X-ray scanners and CCTV cameras, prison officials have limited capacity to detect and prevent the smuggling of illegal substances.

JKB/BAI

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