Catholic bishops of Ghana back anti-drug trafficking task force — MyJoyOnline
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has supported President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to establish an inter-agency task force to counter the movement of drugs through the country’s ports, airports and borders. The bishops also noted the work of Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) and other state bodies in combating the illicit trafficking and use of drugs.
Cocaine seizure in France
The church conference’s statement came after the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine in Dunkirk, France. According to the report, the drugs were allegedly concealed in a container of plastic waste sent from Ghana.
The bishops said the case demonstrates the need to strengthen oversight, accountability and coordination at the country’s ports, airports and borders. The conference called for a thorough investigation to establish how such a large shipment could allegedly have passed through legal commercial channels.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Search for network organizers
The conference also advocated further cooperation between Ghanaian and French authorities to determine the full scale of the network linked to the seizure. The bishops stressed that efforts should not be limited to prosecuting couriers, but should identify the financiers and main organizers of drug trafficking.
They expressed concern over the possible involvement of people in positions of responsibility, including public officials and some members of the Church. The conference called on state institutions and international partners to maintain sustained cooperation to prevent Ghana from being used as a transit point for illicit drugs, MyJoyOnline reports.
