US$350m Cocaine Bust: Minority caucus questions why key suspects remain unidentified

Parliament's Minority faction has petitioned Speaker Alban Bagbin to reconvene the House to probe major drug seizures connected to Ghana. The petition, led by First Deputy Minority Whip Habib Iddrisu, is based on Article 112 (3) of the 1992 Constitution and Parliament's Standing Orders. The Minority claims it has the backing of 15% of MPs, giving the Speaker a mandate to summon the House within seven days.

The recent seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine found in a container of plastic waste at the Port of Dunkirk has sparked concerns about port security, customs controls, and intelligence gathering. The Minority is seeking answers on the processing, inspection, clearance, and export of the container, as well as the entities involved in handling the consignment.

They want to know the extent of investigations and arrests, and the level of cooperation between Ghanaian authorities and their French and other foreign counterparts. The Minority also wants to scrutinize how financiers and organizers of large-scale trafficking operations are identified, and whether port, airport, and other entry/exit point security measures are sufficient.

Since 2025, the Minority has cited several instances of significant cocaine seizures linked to Ghana, totaling over US$1 billion in less than two years. They criticize the slow pace of the Pedu Junction case, where only a few suspects have been arraigned and remain on bail after a year, while the main traffickers remain unidentified.

The Minority asserts that this inquiry is necessary to fulfill Parliament's oversight duty and safeguard national interests, without interfering with ongoing criminal investigations or prejudging anyone.