Jatikay Centre questions NACOC’s account of cocaine seizure in Lebanon

Ghana is facing a potential global disgrace should the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) remain under-resourced and not integrated into border checks, according to Professor Kwesi Aning. His warning stems from recent high-profile cocaine busts linked to consignments originating from Ghana, such as the €225 million drug haul intercepted at the Port of Dunkirk in September.

Aning argues that NACOC officers possess crucial knowledge to uncover trafficking methods missed by other agencies. He emphasized that although President John Dramani Mahama directed NACOC to return to the Joint Container Inspection regime, it is essential to modernize the commission with advanced scanning tools, forensic labs, K9 units, intelligence infrastructure, and sufficient funding.

Otherwise, Ghana risks repeated cocaine seizures in foreign ports, ultimately traced back to Accra. Aning's concerns resonate with the 2018 port reforms, which reduced the number of agencies involved in joint inspections at Ghana's ports from 16 to three, leaving Customs and the Ghana Standards Authority to handle routine checks.

NACOC and National Security were only to be engaged on an intelligence basis, not participating in daily physical inspections. This reform, confirmed by former Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul, has left the port vulnerable, making it a potential major drug transit hub.