Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, has questioned the Narcotics Control Commission’s (NACOC) account of a major cocaine seizure at Lebanon’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, raising concerns about the commission’s claim that the operation was conducted jointly with Lebanese authorities.

The concerns follow the arrest of a Syrian national who was reportedly found with 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in two suitcases at the Beirut airport.

NACOC had announced that the arrest resulted from a joint controlled delivery operation involving drug law enforcement authorities in Ghana and Lebanon, aimed at identifying and apprehending persons involved in the drug supply chain at both ends.

However, in a post shared on X on November 2, 2026, Simons questioned the commission’s account, arguing that information from Lebanese authorities appeared to contradict some aspects of the announcement.

He said his initial relief after reading NACOC’s statement turned into concern after examining reports from Lebanon, particularly the absence of any explicit reference to Ghanaian narcotics authorities.

Below are 24 things Bright Simons has questioned about the cocaine seizure and NACOC’s explanation.

1. Lebanese authorities did not mention NACOC: Simons questioned why reports from Lebanon attributed the seizure to General Security and Customs without acknowledging NACOC’s alleged involvement.

2. Lebanon's anti-narcotics unit was absent from the accounts: He noted that Lebanon's anti-narcotics branch operates under the Internal Security Force (ISF) and is usually mentioned in statements when involved in joint operations.

3. Previous international operations involved the anti-narcotics branch: He cited previous drug operations involving Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, arguing that Lebanon's anti-narcotics authorities were prominently identified in those cases.

4. Lebanese Customs did not mention Ghanaian cooperation: Simons said statements and interviews by Beirut Customs concerning the latest seizure made no reference to collaboration with Ghanaian authorities.

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5. Lebanon attributed the operation to its own security agencies: He pointed to reports indicating that the seizure was conducted by Lebanese Customs in coordination with General Security following security monitoring and intelligence gathering.

6. Lebanon's Prime Minister did not acknowledge Ghana's involvement: Simons said Prime Minister Nawaf Salam praised coordination and information exchange between the two Lebanese agencies without mentioning Ghana.

7. The alleged bribe at Kotoka International Airport: He described as a major red flag a report by Lebanese media outlet LBCI that the passenger was suspected of paying a bribe at Accra airport to get his two suitcases through.

8. A controlled delivery requires NACOC supervision: Simons argued that under Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019), such an operation would require security supervision and authorisation by NACOC's Director-General.

9. GACL Security should have been informed: He questioned how a bribe could have been demanded if the luggage had been allowed through under an authorised controlled delivery arrangement, which would require airport security to be alerted ahead of screening.

10. Lebanese law also requires anti-narcotics involvement: He cited Lebanon's Law 673/1998, particularly Articles 214, 219 and 220, which he said require the Counter-Narcotics branch of the ISF to be directly involved in controlled delivery operations.

11. Lebanese investigators reportedly linked the Accra leg to corruption: Simons questioned why investigators would describe the passage of the cocaine through Accra as facilitated by corruption if Ghanaian authorities had informed them that the shipment was being supervised.

12. Communication between customs agencies does not prove controlled delivery: He acknowledged reports that Lebanese Customs had communicated with Ghanaian Customs and Aviation Security but argued that this did not establish NACOC's involvement.

13. NACOC's absence raises questions: He stressed that NACOC is the Ghanaian agency authorised to oversee controlled delivery operations involving illicit drugs, making its absence from the Lebanese accounts concerning.

14. The suspect was reportedly under surveillance before travelling to Ghana
Simons suggested that the Syrian national may have been on the radar of Lebanese security agencies before his trip to Accra. He said the man had previously entered Lebanon from Syria through the Masnaa land crossing.

15. Lebanese officers appeared surprised during the search: He questioned footage of the luggage inspection, in which officers reportedly appeared surprised by the packaging, hidden compartments and tracking devices, including AirTags.

He argued that advance supervision should have come with detailed information about the shipment.

16. Ghanaian authorities may have been contacted after the arrest: Based on the available reports, Simons suggested that Lebanese Customs might have contacted their Ghanaian counterparts only after the suspect was apprehended.

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17. Key alleged accomplices are not in NACOC custody: He questioned why the commission had not already arrested key suspects, including customs officers and aviation security officials allegedly involved in facilitating the movement of the cocaine.

18. Officials involved should have been identified under controlled delivery: Simons argued that if the shipment had passed through Ghana under official supervision, the personnel involved in its clearance should have been identified and placed under investigation.

19. The suspect's Ghanaian contacts should have been monitored: He maintained that a genuine joint operation from the outset would have involved surveillance of the suspect's contacts in Ghana, including possible visa guarantors, with arrests expected before or immediately after his return to Beirut.

20. It is the second major Ghana-linked cocaine shipment in less than a year: Simons expressed concern that another substantial cocaine consignment had reportedly travelled from Ghana to Lebanon within a relatively short period.

21. A previous 600kg cocaine shipment was seized in Lebanon: He recalled that Lebanese Customs reportedly became suspicious of an air-freight consignment from Ghana on November 26, 2025.

The shipment, weighing about 600 kilogrammes, had been declared as coconut oil in plastic bottles packed in 40 cartons. Its seizure was announced on December 22, 2025.

22. NACOC did not announce the earlier seizure: Simons questioned why the 2025 incident received little attention in Ghana and why NACOC did not issue a public statement about it. He argued that the inspection appeared to have been triggered by suspicion rather than a controlled delivery arrangement.

23. Media attention may have prompted NACOC's announcement: He wondered whether NACOC would have described the latest seizure as a controlled delivery operation if Ghanaian media had not widely reported the incident following initial coverage by Lebanese outlets.

24. Ghana's enhanced airport screening measures need scrutiny: Simons questioned the effectiveness of the new pre-screening measures at the airport, given the movement of another large cocaine shipment from Ghana to Lebanon.

Simons called for a joint press statement from NACOC and Lebanon's Internal Security Force to address the concerns and clarify the circumstances surrounding the seizure.

He said such an explanation would help resolve the apparent gaps between NACOC's account and the information released by Lebanese authorities.

See the post below

I was about to heave a big sigh of relief after reading a statement by Ghana's narcotics authorities (NACOC) about a joint operation with their counterparts in Lebanon (see attached) that has led to Lebanon's biggest airport luggage drug (cocaine) bust.

Then I looked again, closely, and started to scratch my head.

1. NACOC's Sunday afternoon statement says the arrest in Beirut followed a "controlled delivery operation" involving drug law enforcement authorities in Ghana and Lebanon, meant to identify and apprehend persons involved at both ends of the drug supply chain.

2. Yet, the Lebanese reports are very clear that this seizure was handled by Lebanon's General Security and Customs. Not the narcotics branch.

3. In Lebanon, the anti-narcotics branch is a unit of the Internal Security Force (ISF). Every time they participate in a joint operation, they are prominently mentioned and they issue their own statement afterwards.

4. Here are recent examples:-

Saudi Arabia: intelligence exchanged between Saudi Arabia’s drug-control directorate and Lebanon’s Central Office for Drug Control; the 125 kg Tripoli seizure; and the June 2026 Jiyeh Captagon case.

Qatar: the Brazilian swallower arrested at Beirut airport in August 2025.

Kuwait: a February 2026 case.

The UAE: an August 2026 incident.

5. Not once in the various statements and interviews given by Beirut Customs in the current case was cooperation with the Ghanaian authorities mentioned. That is odd.

6. Lebanese Customs in Beirut says the operation was carried out in coordination with the Lebanese General Security, following security monitoring and intelligence gathering.

7. The Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam praised the coordination and information exchange between the two Lebanese agencies. Not a single mention of Ghana, unlike all the other joint-operation cases.

8. The biggest red-flag for me was "THE BRIBE."

9. Lebanese customs sources told LBCI the passenger is suspected of paying a bribe at Accra airport to get his two suitcases through.

10. A) If NACOC had already decided to let the bags pass, it would have been under Ghanaian SECURITY SUPERVISION as per Act 1019 and would have been authorised for clearance by the Director General of NACOC.

B) GACL Security would have had to alerted ahead of baggage screening. How then could someone have asked for a bribe?

C) Lebanon has matching rules. Lebanon’s Law 673/1998 under articles 214, 219, and 220, require the Counter-Narcotics branch of the ISF to be directly involved in controlled delivery scenarios.

11. Also, why would Lebanese investigators describe the Accra leg as facilitated by corruption if their Ghanaian partners had alerted them in advance that it was being supervised and allowed through?

12. Lebanese reports certainly confirm that there was foreknowledge that the Syrian drug mule was suspicious and that Lebanese Customs spoke to Ghanaian Customs and Aviation Security. Is this evidence of controlled delivery?

13. Unfortunately not. There is no mention of NACOC, the only Ghanaian security organisation authorised to allow controlled delivery.

14. Furthermore, prior awareness of the drug mule seems to have been linked to the fact that the man had already entered Lebanon from Syria through the Masnaa land crossing and was under surveillance by Lebanese security before travelling from Beirut to Accra and returning a few days later. The man had been flagged even before getting to Ghana.

15. When you watch the video of the search, and the briefings thereafter, it is clear that the Lebanese authorities were surprised by the packaging and hidden compartments. They adjust Xray settings and remark about the surprise of finding airtags etc. If NACOC had supervised transit, Lebanese Customs would have received a detailed advance briefing according to protocol.

16. It is looking like Lebanese Customs called their Ghanaian counterparts AFTER the apprehension.

17. Which would also explain why NACOC doesn't already have in custody the key accomplices, including the senior customs officers and aviation security officials apparently bribed to let through the narcotics.

18. Given the setup, such officers would have to be high up, and would have been picked up immediately the consignment made it through as he or she would have been flagged given the supervision element of controlled delivery.

19. Furthermore, a joint operation from the outset would have meant that the drug mule's contacts (including visa guarantors etc.) in Ghana would have already been under surveillance and picked up as soon as he landed in Beirut. Or even earlier, especially since the plan didn't include waiting for him to handover the package to anybody.

20. I am also uneasy about NACOC's statement because this is the second time in less than a year that a large cocaine shipment has moved from Ghana to Lebanon.

21. Lebanese customs said that on 26 November 2025 it became *suspicious* of a shipment arriving from Ghana to Lebanon via air freight, weighing about 600 kilograms, declared as coconut oil in plastic bottles packed in 40 cartons. The seizure was announced on 22 December 2025.

22. What is curious here? Well: A. The media in Ghana appeared to have missed it. B. So NACOC said nothing. Absolutely nothing. There was definitely no controlled delivery in that matter judging by the fact that inspection proceeded on suspicion.

23. It makes one wonder if NACOC would have talked about controlled delivery in the present case had the media not gone to town as soon as the Lebanese media reported the bust on Sunday morning.

24. It also raises questions about the new enhanced measures for pre-screening at the airport.

25. It would be great if a joint ISF - NACOC press release sets minds at ease by addressing these worrying gaps in information.

See the various attachments.

— Bright Simons (@BBSimons) November 2, 2026