This isn’t the first cocaine bust; we must stop the politicisation – NACOC deputy boss

Alexander Twum-Barimah, Deputy Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), has warned against the political exploitation of recent cocaine seizures in Ghana. In an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile, he reminded the public that this was not the first instance of such interceptions in the country. "We have had many cases of narcotic interceptions in the past," he stated. "For us, this is not the first time we have seen this."

Twum-Barimah highlighted several past drug seizures, including the interception of 56 kilograms of cocaine in 2018, the same year in 2019, and a 2020 incident where heroin was seized at the airport from Kenya. He urged against viewing the latest case as a partisan issue.

These comments come in the wake of a significant French customs seizure, where nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine were discovered in a container of plastic waste originating from Ghana. Six individuals have been brought before a court in Accra in relation to this case. The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for the removal of those in charge of port security, customs, and narcotics control, citing concerns that the shipment raises questions about how drugs can leave Ghana undetected.