The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns over a series of major narcotics seizures in Ghana and abroad, claiming that drug consignments linked to the country have exceeded US$1 billion since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government took office.
Rev. John Ntim Fordour, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, said the seizures point to worrying gaps in Ghana’s efforts to prevent the country from being used as a transit route for international drug trafficking.
Speaking on JoyNews on Sunday, September 13, 2026, Rev. Fordour said the estimated value of the various consignments seized in Ghana and overseas was approaching $1 billion.
“We are almost approximately $1bn of drugs that were busted in our country and drugs that were busted outside our country and linked to our ports,” he said.
He questioned how some of the consignments were able to move through Ghana or become linked to the country without being detected by the relevant state agencies.
Among the cases he cited was a March 4, 2025 interception at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast, where the National Intelligence Bureau seized a tipper truck carrying more than 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed beneath sand.
The vehicle was reportedly travelling from Takoradi towards Accra, with the cocaine estimated to have a street value exceeding $350 million.
Another case involved about 120 slabs of cocaine reportedly intercepted along the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway. The consignment was estimated to be worth approximately $150 million.
On August 5, 2026, the Tema Regional Police Command also seized 866 parcels of suspected cocaine from a warehouse within the Tema Harbour enclave.
The drugs were reportedly concealed in sacks of gari and were estimated to have a street value of about $6.9 million.
Rev. Fordour also raised questions about other incidents which, according to him, have not been satisfactorily resolved.
He cited the case of an aircraft that reportedly arrived at Ghana’s airport from Gran Canaria around March 20, 2025, allegedly carrying narcotics and undeclared foreign currency.
He further referred to the July 2025 MV Sankofa incident involving a vessel that was allegedly operating under a forged flag.
According to the Minority, the vessel faced a fine of nearly GH¢12 million but was released after only part of the amount had been paid, without a complete inspection of its cargo. The vessel was later arrested in Senegal, where narcotics were reportedly discovered.
Seizures outside Ghana
The Minority also pointed to major drug seizures made outside Ghana which it says were linked to consignments originating from the country.
On June 18, 2026, Australian customs authorities reportedly seized 320kg of methamphetamine valued at about $261 million from a charcoal shipment traced to Ghana.
More recently, French customs officers seized nearly 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine at the Port of Dunkirk on September 10, 2026.
The cocaine, valued at more than $260 million, was concealed in a container carrying plastic waste that had originated from Ghana.
Rev. Fordour said the incidents raise questions about the volume of narcotics that could potentially be passing through Ghana undetected.
He also questioned the progress of investigations into some of the cases, particularly the Pedu Junction cocaine seizure.
According to him, more than a year after the seizure, only the driver, a housemaid and a few other peripheral suspects had been arraigned and remained on bail.
He claimed that those allegedly responsible for financing the operation and the major dealers behind the consignment had not yet been identified or prosecuted.
Minority demands parliamentary probe
The Minority is now calling for an independent parliamentary investigation into the various incidents.
It wants the relevant sector ministers and heads of state agencies to appear before Parliament and provide an account of the investigations, the release of the MV Sankofa and measures being taken to strengthen security at Ghana’s ports, airports and territorial waters.
“Ghana’s international reputation, and the safety of our young people from the scourge of narcotics, cannot be held hostage to official silence or political convenience,” Rev. Fordour said.
He added that the Minority would continue to pursue the matter until the circumstances surrounding the various seizures are established and anyone found responsible is held accountable.
