Only Customs, Meridian Port Services officials are in scanning room – NACOC

The Deputy Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Alexander Twum-Barimah, revealed that only Customs officers and staff from Meridian Port Services (MPS) are present in the scanning room employed in the examination of containers for suspicious items. This information was provided during an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile.

According to Mr. Twum-Barimah, Customs officers play a crucial role in analyzing the images generated by the scanners and investigating any anomalies detected during the process. This concern has arisen following a series of recent narcotics seizures and heightened apprehensions over the unlawful transportation of drugs through Ghana's ports.

Mr. Twum-Barimah emphasized that the scanning room primarily consists of Customs officers, along with a small number of MPS officials. He explained that the significance of Customs officers in the scanning room lies in their ability to interpret the images produced by the scanning equipment. He highlighted that containers implicated in recent narcotics seizures had undergone the scanning process, which raises questions about how these containers managed to evade detection despite their association with potential abnormalities.

Mr. Twum-Barimah detailed that the scanning equipment is designed to flag any unusual findings inside a container. He stated that the scanner alerts officers stationed behind the scenes whenever it detects anything out of the ordinary. These officers are then responsible for conducting a thorough investigation and, if necessary, a physical examination to ascertain the cause of the prompt.

The arrest of the Customs officers in this case aims to determine how the containers managed to pass through the scanning process while ultimately being linked to narcotics seizures.