NACOC raises concerns over security lapses at Ghana’s airports

Ghana's air infrastructure is facing significant security challenges as transnational drug cartels exploit insider vulnerabilities and sophisticated techniques to avoid detection at airports. The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) Director-General, Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, warned of this escalating threat during a parliamentary briefing on October 20, 2026.

Trafficking networks are now highly advanced, enabling them to bypass airport security systems primarily by using compromised airport employees who move contraband undetected through secure checkpoints with their badge credentials. One such security breach involved a supervisory aviation security officer passing through a checkpoint with unhindered baggage, despite the requirement for all personnel to undergo routine screening.

To counteract these threats, cartels are purchasing commercial cargo scanners to conduct offsite testing of their concealment methods. This allows them to verify whether their illicit shipments can pass through undetected before arriving at the terminal. Additionally, they are using chemical masking agents designed to interfere with scent-detection metrics employed by sniffer dogs, further complicating security efforts.

The parliamentary briefing also revealed broader institutional breakdowns within Ghana’s security systems. Testimonies highlighted broken body scanners at international departure hubs, overcrowded facilities, and severe limitations on transit within the NACOC’s tactical motor pool. The Minister for the Interior, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, acknowledged that compromised internal links facilitate operations for international cartels, putting the country’s image at risk among global intelligence partners.

In response to these findings, the government has authorized emergency border operations to address the identified gaps. GACL has restricted entry to terminal areas to only ticketed flyers, requiring all luggage to pass through automated electronic pre-screening checks at terminal entryways before passenger check-in. Additionally, the Ministry for the Interior has authorized the deployment of specialized canine teams from the military and police to augment NACOC’s K9 Unit at Accra International Airport.

These units are being paired with unscheduled personnel screening sweeps to disrupt the insider-access pipeline and mitigate the security risks posed by these sophisticated trafficking networks.