The Deputy Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Alexander Twum-Barimah, has urged Ghanaians not to politicise the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine in France linked to a shipment from Ghana.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, he said Ghana had dealt with several cases involving cocaine and other illicit drugs at its entry and exit points, stressing that the recent seizure was not an isolated incident.
“For us as a country, this has not been the very first time we have seen this. We have a large number of cases on narcotics," he noted.
Mr Twum-Barimah cited previous seizures, including 56 kilograms of cocaine intercepted in Ghana in 2018 and another case in 2019.
He also recalled a September 2020 incident at the airport involving a person who was allegedly bringing heroin into Ghana from Kenya.
“In 2018, 56 kilograms of cocaine were intercepted in Ghana; here, in 2019, the same. 2020, 3rd September, at the airport, we had someone bringing in an amount of heroin from Kenya,” he noted.
His comments follow the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine by French customs at the port of Dunkirk. The drugs were reportedly concealed in a container of plastic waste shipped from Ghana.
Six people have appeared before a court in Accra in connection with the case.
The development has led the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to call for the removal of heads of state agencies responsible for port security, customs and narcotics control.
The NPP argues that the seizure raises questions about how such a large shipment could leave Ghana without being detected.
