{
  "id": 11121051,
  "title": "Government cannot investigate drug exports under its own watch – Abu Jinapor",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/government-cannot-investigate-drug-exports-under-its-own-watch-abu",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-01T05:42:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
    "slug": "myjoyonline-ghana",
    "url": "https://www.myjoyonline.com/government-cannot-investigate-drug-exports-under-its-own-watch-abu-jinapor/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Former Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abdulai Jinapor has raised doubts about the effectiveness of solely relying on government and security agencies to investigate narcotics being exported from Ghana without detection. Jinapor, now a Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, made the point in response to a Minority motion for a bipartisan parliamentary inquiry into major narcotics seizures linked to the nation. The former minister argued that such an inquiry would have examined the functions of key institutions involved in narcotics enforcement, customs, ports, and border security. He also questioned the capability of current scanning, surveillance, and intelligence systems to prevent large shipments of illicit drugs from leaving the country. Jinapor's remarks follow the recent seizure of around 3.9 tonnes of cocaine by French Customs at Dunkirk, reportedly from a container that had originated in Ghana. The Minority has called for an investigation into cargo-scanning, risk-profiling, and inspection procedures at Ghana’s ports, citing these incidents as evidence that scrutiny is warranted. Jinapor also pointed to recent admissions by Interior Minister Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak regarding suspected insider dealings, arguing that these developments underscore the need for independent parliamentary scrutiny. \"We cannot entrust this matter to those under whose watch these massive volumes of drugs are being exported undetected,\" Jinapor stated. The minister further accused the government of attempting to evade accountability, describing the situation as a possible \"grand cover-up\" and calling for the use of parliamentary mechanisms to obtain answers.",
  "summary": "Former Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, has questioned the adequacy of relying solely on existing government and security institutions to investigate major narcotics consignments that have allegedly passed through Ghana undetected.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "Parliament must investigate how 3.9 tonnes of cocaine left Ghana undetected – Samuel Jinapor",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/parliament-must-investigate-how-3-9-tonnes-of-cocaine-left-ghana",
        "published": "2026-10-01T05:58:17.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}