Drug bust: Under no circumstances will NACOC leadership be compromised – Twum-Barimah

The Deputy Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Alexander Twum-Barimah, firmly denied claims that the leadership of the Commission could be compromised in the movement of narcotics out of Ghana. He emphasized his commitment to protecting the country's image and maintaining the integrity of its leadership in the fight against narcotics trafficking.

During an appearance on JoyNews’ Newsfile on September 26, Twum-Barimah stated unequivocally that "under no circumstances will the leadership of the Narcotics Control Commission be ever compromised. It will never happen." These remarks came in response to allegations made by Rev John Ntim Fordjour, a Ranking Member on Parliament's Defence and Interior Committee.

Fordjour expressed concerns about the handling of narcotics trafficking cases involving Ghana. Twum-Barimah rejected the allegations as false, asserting that he was present at the airport when security agencies examined a suspicious aircraft. He pointed out that this examination, which took place on March 16, 2025, yielded negative results.

Twum-Barimah also dismissed claims that he had colluded with individuals to facilitate drug smuggling, questioning the lack of evidence supporting these accusations. He further refuted a claim that 73 parcels of cocaine had been transported from Ghana to the Netherlands, insisting that the parcels were intercepted within the country.

The NACOC deputy urged the public to refrain from spreading unverified information and insisted that all parties involved in narcotics investigations must adhere to accurate reporting standards. Twum-Barimah affirmed that NACOC and other governmental agencies were actively working to address narcotics cases through judicial and investigative processes.

He criticized the tendency to single out individuals for scrutiny in the context of broader national drug-related issues, cautioning against personal attacks on government officials. He emphasized that while a major drug-related case was under investigation, this did not justify targeting specific individuals within the responsible agencies.

Twum-Barimah reiterated NACOC's commitment to working alongside other state agencies to maintain the country's narcotics-control system's integrity.