Our drug enforcement system is too fragmented – Dr Norman flags dangerous gaps in security architecture

Security consultant Dr Ishmael Norman has expressed concerns that Ghana's drug enforcement system is too fragmented to effectively combat the growing cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking threats. He suggested the recent seizures should prompt a review of the country's security architecture and the coordination among agencies responsible for drug enforcement.

Dr Norman's comments came after recent cocaine busts and increasing concerns over narcotics entering Ghana. Speaking on Joy News' PM Express, he emphasized the need for Ghana to view drug trafficking as an existential threat rather than an occasional emergency. Dr Norman argued that the large quantities of narcotics indicate weaknesses in several institutions.

He noted that the involvement of multiple narcotics—methamphetamine and cocaine—suggests issues in the security agencies responsible for drug enforcement. Dr Norman called for a thorough examination of the institutional arrangements governing agencies like NACCOC, the FDA, the Ghana Standards Board, Customs, and National Security.

He emphasized the necessity of mandatory involvement of key agencies in routine inspections instead of being called upon only when Customs suspects suspicious activity. Dr Norman criticized the lack of necessary skills, investigative resources, and vehicles within NACCOC, and infrastructure challenges faced by Customs. He questioned the responsibility for container chain of custody, revealing that the country only conducts physical inspections on less than 15% of containers.

Dr Norman warned that these weaknesses could be exploited by sophisticated drug networks, which study vulnerabilities in enforcement institutions. He cautioned that the implications extend beyond individual drug seizures, as Ghana risks being associated with drug trafficking, which should not be the case.