The Minority in Parliament has called for a full-scale independent parliamentary inquiry into what it describes as Ghana’s “descent into a narcotics transit hub”, citing a series of drug seizures in Ghana and abroad with a combined estimated street value of more than US$1 billion over the past 18 months.

In a statement dated September 13, 2026, and signed by the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev John Ntim Fordjour, the Minority said it had “watched with grave alarm” as Ghana repeatedly featured in major narcotics trafficking cases locally and internationally.

It said the seizures raised serious questions about the security of Ghana’s ports and the effectiveness of investigations into major drug trafficking cases.

“Over the past eighteen months, Ghana has repeatedly featured in major narcotics trafficking cases both at home and abroad. We set out below the chronology of these incidents, beginning with the seizures made on our own soil,” it noted.

Among the cases cited was the interception of a tipper truck at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast on March 4, 2025, allegedly carrying more than 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed beneath sand.

The consignment, reportedly being transported from Takoradi to Accra, was estimated to have a street value exceeding US$350 million.

The Minority also cited the seizure of about 120 slabs of cocaine, estimated at US$150 million, along the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway.

On August 5, 2026, the Tema Regional Police Command also seized 866 parcels of suspected cocaine concealed in sacks of gari at a warehouse within the Tema Harbour enclave. The consignment was estimated to have a street value exceeding US$350 million.

The Minority said two other incidents remained unresolved, including the landing at Kotoka International Airport, around March 20, 2025, of an aircraft “alleged to be carrying narcotics and undeclared US currency from Gran Canaria.”

It also raised concerns over the July 2025 MV Sankofa affair, in which a vessel found sailing under a forged flag and liable to a fine of almost GH¢12 million was released by the Ghana Maritime Authority after payment of only a fraction of the amount.

The statement further referred to a recent cocaine seizure in France involving a consignment concealed in a container of plastic waste that had departed Ghana.

The Minority is demanding answers on the status of investigations into the seizures and the prosecution of those behind the consignments.

Drug seizures linked to Ghana under NDC exceed US$1bn in less than two years - Minority

It wants “the status and outcome of investigations into every seizure listed above, including why prosecutions to date have targeted only low-level couriers and not the financiers and principal traffickers behind these shipments.”

It is also demanding an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the release of the MV Sankofa, including “who authorised the reduced fine and the decision to allow the vessel to sail without full inspection.”

The Minority further wants the government to disclose “the concrete measures being taken to secure Ghana's ports, airports, and territorial waters against continued exploitation by international drug cartels.”

It warned that the developments could have wider implications for Ghana’s reputation and the safety of young people.

“Ghana's international reputation, and the safety of our young people from the scourge of narcotics, cannot be held hostage to official silence or political convenience,” the statement said.

“The Minority will not relent until the truth is known and those found responsible are held accountable,” it added.

JKB/MA

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