Mahama receives preliminary report on $200m cocaine shipment

President John Dramani Mahama has been presented with a preliminary report regarding an investigation into a significant cocaine shipment that originated from Ghana. The shipment was intercepted by French customs authorities in September 2026, with French officials seizing approximately 3.9 tonnes of the narcotics. The estimated street value of the seized cocaine is €225 million.

The container carrying the illicit cargo had been intended for Antwerp, Belgium, and was concealed within a shipment of plastic waste that had arrived from Ghana.

Anthony Sarpong, the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), revealed this information while testifying before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC). He disclosed that President Mahama had formed a team consisting of various security agencies to investigate the incident and identify weaknesses in the systems responsible for monitoring goods exported via Ghana's ports.

The team was initially given a two-week period to complete its investigations, after which a preliminary report was submitted to the President last week.

Mr. Sarpong expressed optimism that the findings of the investigation would inform policy decisions and investments aimed at enhancing security at Ghana's ports and other entry points. He emphasized that the focus of these measures would be on identifying and addressing loopholes that could enable illegal consignments to leave the country undetected.

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) in Ghana had already announced the arrest of three suspects in connection with the smuggling operation. The suspects were alleged to have facilitated the activities of Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers, known by the nickname "Bolle Jos". The investigation aims to uncover how the shipment managed to bypass Ghana's export controls and to determine any further measures necessary to prevent similar incidents in the future.