Ghana ranks fifth for Antwerp cocaine seizures
By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent Ghana emerged in 2025 as the fifth-largest country of origin for cocaine seized at the port of Antwerp in Belgium. Belgian customs authorities noted that the West African nation stood as the sole non-Latin American state on a top-five list otherwise made up of Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil, […]
Ghana has risen to the fifth position in terms of cocaine seizures at the Antwerp port in Belgium, according to Belgian customs authorities. The West African nation was the only non-Latin American state on the list of the top five countries responsible for this. In 2025, Belgian customs recorded nearly 55 tonnes of cocaine at Antwerp, marking a 24% increase compared to the previous year's figures of 44 tonnes.
Finance Minister Jan Jambon announced these findings on January 21, 2026. Public broadcaster VRT described Ghana’s inclusion as "the odd one out." Antwerp is Europe's primary entry point for cocaine shipments arriving by sea. It is important to note that the country of origin for these seizures is the departure point where containers were loaded, not where the illicit substances originated.
None of the cocaine is cultivated within Ghana. Instead, traffickers import the drugs from the Andes, concealing them within legitimate export commodities. The surge in interceptions at Ghanaian ports, particularly at Tema, has contributed to this notable increase in seizures at Antwerp.
Written by urgent.news from GBC Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
