The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has destroyed seized narcotic substances with an estimated street value of more than US$10 million at Bundase as part of efforts to prevent the drugs from re-entering circulation.
The consignment included over 4.7 million synthetic opioid tablets and capsules, 338,000 bottles of codeine-based cough mixture and 564.39 kilogrammes of cannabis.
Synthetic opioids made up the largest portion of the seized substances, with 4,730,100 tablets and capsules destroyed at an estimated value of US$5.9 million.
The codeine-based cough mixture was valued at US$4.2 million, while the cannabis had an estimated street value of US$112,878.
Before the destruction exercise, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) conducted verification tests to establish the nature of the substances. The tests confirmed the presence of cannabis in the samples examined.
The exercise comes amid renewed scrutiny of Ghana’s efforts to combat drug trafficking following the recent seizure of suspected narcotics in Lebanon involving a consignment linked to Ghana.
Speaking at the exercise, NACOC Director-General Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to disrupting the activities of drug traffickers.
He acknowledged the challenges involved in fighting the narcotics trade but said the Lebanon incident should not be taken as proof of institutional failure.
Major General Mantey said NACOC would continue to strengthen its operations despite the difficulties confronting the fight against drug trafficking.
The destruction of the confiscated substances is intended to ensure they do not return to circulation and pose further risks to the public.
