NACOC: We've secured dedicated High Court now handling only narcotics cases

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has successfully secured a dedicated High Court to exclusively handle narcotics cases as part of its ongoing efforts to combat drug offences more effectively. Deputy Director-General Alexander Twum-Barimah explained that the dedicated court addresses the longstanding issue of scattered narcotics case hearings across various courts, such as Adenta Court 5 and Accra High Court 2.

The Commission engaged with the Chief Justice and Supreme Court judges to advocate for the dedicated court, which was finally established and now sits to handle only narcotics cases prosecuted by the NACOC. This dedicated court was made possible by the Narcotics Control Commission Act of 2020, which transformed the Commission from a Board to a Commission and granted it the authority to prosecute its own cases through dedicated prosecutors.

However, the law remained unimplemented for four years under the previous NPP administration. Twum-Barimah highlighted the inadequate resources provided to the Commission during that period, emphasizing the need for improved resources to effectively combat the drug menace, especially in regions like the North East where the Commission had no vehicle and only two officers assigned to cover the entire region.