NACOC says no presidential escort among €225M French cocaine case

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has stated that their preliminary investigations have not found any evidence linking suspects in custody over the €225 million cocaine seizure in France to any presidential escort. Deputy Director-General Alexander Twum-Barimah revealed that all suspects have been thoroughly checked, and none were found to have served as close protection officers for President John Dramani Mahama or Vice President Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.

This response follows allegations by New Tafo Member of Parliament Vincent Ekow Assafuah on Facebook that one suspect, Musah Atta, was allegedly part of both presidents' security detail. Assafuah questioned how a presidential security officer could be connected to a case involving such a large cocaine seizure. However, Twum-Barimah clarified that NACOC had not found any evidence to support Assafuah's claim, noting that they had conducted background checks on all suspects in custody and none were found to be presidential escorts.

Twum-Barimah also disputed the notion that a single officer could serve as a close escort to both the President and Vice President, emphasizing that each president requires separate protection detail to manage their respective security duties. He explained that under no circumstances would a close escort be assigned to protect both leaders simultaneously.

This clarification comes amid ongoing investigations into the suspects and the circumstances surrounding the massive cocaine seizure, which authorities attribute to connections with Ghana.