Six remanded over 3.9-tonne cocaine haul shipped from Tema Port

On September 17, 2026, a Kwabenya Circuit Court in Accra remanded six individuals accused of involvement in a shipment of nearly four tonnes of suspected cocaine bound for France via Tema Port, denying them bail. The accused - Francis Narh Amanor, Frank Adu-Boahen, Togbe Agbeti, Andrews Tetteh Amponsah, Daniel Laryea, and Helena Akua Denkyi - include four employees from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) who are alleged to have mishandled the Customs scanning process, allowing the illicit cargo to pass through.

Four 40-foot containers - SELU4549480, FFAU2242304, MSDU5642699, and SELU4809801 - were scanned prior to departing Ghana. However, the scan images raised red flags, yet the containers were cleared and exported without further scrutiny. French authorities eventually intercepted the containers, containing roughly 3.9 tonnes of suspected narcotics.

The prosecution claims that Frank Adu-Boahen, a GRA official, shared his login credentials with other accused persons, enabling them to conduct the scan-image analysis he was supposed to perform. Investigators allege that Adu-Boahen owned the containers and admitted to loading them at a warehouse in Tema alongside Amanor, the first accused person.

Amanor, a freight forwarder and managing director of Fresna Commodities Ltd, was apprehended on September 15. He told investigators that he owned the freight forwarder, handled the export, and was misled into believing the containers contained pet flakes or plastic scraps. Amanor named Adu-Boahen as the shipment's owner.

The six defendants face charges of conspiracy to export narcotic drugs, exporting narcotic drugs without a license, and, for the four GRA officials, aiding the exportation. The case has been adjourned until September 24, while investigators delve deeper into the examination of who reviewed the scan images, the findings, the subsequent actions taken, and the reasons for the containers' release from the country.