A member of the communications team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwasi Kwarteng, has described the government's response to Ghana's growing cocaine trafficking concerns as problematic, questioning why airport scanners can detect ordinary items but allegedly fail to identify cocaine concealed in luggage.

He said although the scanners at the Accra International Airport are capable of detecting items such as canned drinks, power banks and perfumes, their inability to identify cocaine being transported out of the country raises serious questions about the effectiveness of airport security.

Speaking on TV3's Key Points on November 7, 2026, Kwarteng expressed surprise at the situation, arguing that the government's posture on the matter does little to address public concerns.

"The scanners are able to identify cans but cannot identify the cocaine; it is surprising. The government may not be complicit, but the posturing of the government is problematic," he stated.

His comments come amid growing concerns over Ghana's alleged emergence as a transit point for international cocaine trafficking, following several interceptions of drug consignments traced to the country at foreign destinations.

The NPP has accused the government of failing to demonstrate sufficient urgency in addressing the situation and has called for the immediate dismissal of the heads of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and National Security.

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At a press conference at the party's headquarters in Accra on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, the party's Second National Vice Chairman, Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, said Ghana had recorded at least 14 major cocaine and drug seizures between March 2025 and October 2026.

According to him, seven of the interceptions occurred in Ghana, involving approximately 3.6 tonnes of drugs, while more than 12 tonnes of cocaine traced to the country had been seized abroad.

He cited several incidents, including the seizure of nearly 4,500kg of cocaine concealed in a timber shipment from Ghana at Amsterdam in June 2025 and 2,829kg hidden in cassava flour shipped from Tema and intercepted at Antwerp in November 2025.

The party has also questioned NACOC's explanation that the recent interception of 46.7kg of cocaine at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, was part of a controlled delivery operation.

The seizure involved a Syrian national who arrived from Accra aboard Middle East Airlines flight MEA 576 with 40 packages of cocaine.

The NPP has demanded clarification on NACOC's alleged involvement in the operation, the identities of persons arrested in Ghana and claims that the courier paid bribes to airport officials to facilitate the movement of the drugs.

MRA/EB

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