The Minority in Parliament has called for a full-scale, independent parliamentary inquiry into what it describes as Ghana’s growing role as a transit hub for narcotics under the NDC government.
In a press statement issued on Sunday, Sept. 13, the Minority Caucus said a series of major drug seizures in Ghana and abroad over the past 18 months raised serious questions about the country’s ability to prevent international drug cartels from exploiting its ports, airports and territorial waters.
The caucus cited several seizures, including a March 2025 interception at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast involving more than 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed beneath sand in a tipper truck travelling from Takoradi to Accra.
According to the Minority, the consignment had an estimated street value of more than US$350 million.
It also cited the interception of about 120 slabs of cocaine, allegedly worth approximately US$150 million, along the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway during the same period.
The Minority further pointed to the seizure by the Tema Regional Police Command on Aug. 5, 2026, of 866 parcels of suspected cocaine concealed in sacks of gari at a warehouse within the Tema Harbour enclave. The caucus said the consignment was valued at about US$6.9 million.
The statement also highlighted cases involving shipments traced to Ghana that were seized by foreign authorities.
It said Australian customs authorities seized 320 kilogrammes of methamphetamine on June 18, 2026, concealed in a charcoal consignment traced to Ghana, with an estimated value of US$261 million.
The caucus also referred to a Sept. 10 Reuters report that French customs officers at the port of Dunkirk had seized nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine, valued at more than US$260 million, concealed in a container of plastic waste that had departed Ghana.
The Minority said the seizures linked to Ghana under the current NDC administration amounted to more than US$1 billion in less than two years.
It argued that the scale of the seizures should prompt deeper investigations into the quantity of narcotics potentially passing through the country undetected.
Unresolved cases
The Minority also raised concerns about two incidents it said remained unresolved: the alleged landing at Kotoka International Airport around March 20, 2025, of an aircraft reportedly carrying narcotics and undeclared US currency from Gran Canaria, and the July 2025 MV Sankofa incident.
According to the caucus, the vessel was sailing under a forged flag and was liable for a fine of almost GH¢12 million but was released by the Ghana Maritime Authority after payment of only a fraction of the amount.
The Minority alleged that the vessel was released without a full inspection of its cargo and was subsequently arrested in Senegal days later while carrying narcotics.
The caucus said the circumstances surrounding the vessel’s release required public scrutiny.
It also criticised the progress of investigations into the Pedu Junction cocaine seizure, claiming that more than a year after the seizure, only the driver, a housemaid and a small number of peripheral suspects had been arraigned and remained on bail.
The Minority questioned why, in its view, investigations had not led to the identification and prosecution of the alleged financiers and principal traffickers behind the shipment.
Calls for parliamentary inquiry
The caucus accused relevant state institutions of failing to provide sufficient public explanations about the cases.
It specifically called for an independent parliamentary inquiry into possible complicity, negligence or failures of oversight involving the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Transport, Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Immigration Service and the Bureau of National Investigations.
The Minority wants the sector ministers and heads of the agencies concerned summoned before Parliament to explain the status and outcome of investigations into the seizures.
It also wants authorities to explain the circumstances surrounding the release of the MV Sankofa, including who authorised the reduced fine and the decision to allow the vessel to sail without a full cargo inspection.
In addition, the caucus is demanding details of measures being implemented to protect Ghana’s ports, airports and territorial waters from exploitation by international drug trafficking networks.
The statement was signed by the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Committee on Defence and Interior, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour.
The Minority said Ghana’s international reputation and the safety of young people could not be compromised by what it described as official silence or political convenience.
It pledged to continue pressing for accountability until the circumstances surrounding the cited narcotics cases are fully established and anyone found responsible is held accountable.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
