Arrest everyone in the handling chain of cocaine-linked container – Kofi Bentil

Vice President of IMANI Africa and lawyer, Kofi Bentil, has called for the arrest of everyone involved in the handling of a cocaine-laden container that originated from Ghana. This demand comes after French customs officials seized nearly 3.9 tonnes of suspected cocaine from a container concealed within a shipment of plastic waste at the Port of Dunkirk on September 10. The value of the drug seized is estimated to be around €225 million.

Bentil suggested that the massive quantity of drugs in the container led the perpetrators to believe that it would go undetected as it passed through Ghanaian security and customs checks. He noted that individuals typically involved in exporting smaller amounts of narcotics take great measures to conceal their contraband due to the expectation of detection.

However, the sheer scale of this shipment implies that the individuals involved may have relied on weaknesses within the system or believed they had the complicity of those responsible for checking it. "The person expects that the people who are supposed to check will not check. The person expects that they will have the complicity of the system," Bentil stated.

Bentil urged for all individuals connected to the handling of the container to be arrested and investigated. He expressed concern that the movement of such a large quantity of narcotics through Ghana could tarnish the country's reputation and raise questions about its involvement in the international drug trade. "When you export container loads, tonnes of narcotics, you are a major drug place," he warned.