Ghanaian MP links drug trafficking to NACOC's absence from ports — MyJoyOnline
Ghanaian Member of Parliament for Akwatia Bernard Bediako Baidoo said that excluding the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) from routine checks at the country’s ports may have weakened efforts to counter the movement of cocaine shipments. MyJoyOnline reports.
Seizure in Dunkirk
The MP’s statement came after French customs on September 10 seized a container sent from Ghana at the port of Dunkirk. The container, carrying plastic waste, was found to contain 3.9 tonnes of suspected cocaine. According to the source, the shipment was valued at approximately €225 million.
NACOC said that suspects detained in connection with the seizure had been under surveillance for one to two years. Baidoo noted that an intelligence-based investigation, in his view, does not eliminate the overall vulnerability of Ghana’s ports.
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The MP’s position
According to Baidoo, the level of checks decreased after a 2018 directive adopted following a meeting convened by then-Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia. He claims that NACOC and national security have not participated in routine port controls since then.
The MP stressed that NACOC has specialized expertise that should complement the scanning and inspections conducted by the Ghana Revenue Authority. In his opinion, the commission’s permanent involvement in checks could strengthen the prevention of drug trafficking through ports.
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama instructed the creation of an interagency task force to prepare a detailed plan to prevent drug transportation across the country’s borders. The group is to submit the plan within two weeks after the president’s urgent meeting with heads of law enforcement agencies.
