Hooked on risk: Ghana’s battle with narcotics trade

Ghana is quietly becoming a strategic hub in the drug trade, as a recent surge in major drug seizures highlights the country’s growing exposure to transnational organised crime.

This worrying increase in the trafficking of narcotics and hard drugs has prompted authorities to strengthen their efforts against this issue.

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) and the Ghana Police Service have been at the forefront of this effort, conducting regular operations to disrupt the supply chain and apprehend those involved in the illicit trade.

The proliferation of narcotics in Ghana has been attributed to various factors, including the country’s porous borders, corruption, and the growing demand for illicit substances.

According to NACOC, some of the commonly abused drugs in Ghana include marijuana, cocaine, and tramadol. Tramadol is a powerful opioid which is classified as a controlled substance in Ghana due to its high potential for abuse and addiction.

These substances have serious implications for public health, safety, and national security.

Ghana’s Law on Narcotics

According to the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020 (Act 1019), a person who, without lawful authority, produces, processes, manufactures, distributes, sells, trades in, purchases, trafficks or undertakes an activity for the purpose of establishing or promoting an enterprise relating to narcotic drugs commits an offence.

These offences are punishable by a fine or, in default of paying the fine, the offender will serve a custodial sentence.

In response to the growing threat and enforcement of the law, NACOC and the police have conducted several high-profile operations, resulting in significant seizures of illicit substances and the arrest of suspects.

Here, The Ghana Report highlights some major drug busts reported since the beginning of 2025.

• Customs seizes GH¢20.6m worth of illicit drugs and cigarettes in Tamale

The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in February 2025 seized a large consignment of restricted goods, including illicit cigarettes and controlled pharmaceutical substances, following an intelligence-led operation in the Northern Region.

The intercepted cargo included 450 boxes of Business Royal cigarettes (each box containing 50 packets) and five boxes of Tapentadol tablets. The estimated duty value of the seized items amounts to GH¢20.6 million.

The operation was launched after officials received intelligence on February 11, 2025, about a vehicle transporting restricted goods along the Nanton-Gushegu route.

Upon interception, the driver refused to disclose the contents of the vehicle, insisting that only the owner could speak to it.

They later arrived on a motorcycle but also declined to cooperate.

However, customs officials impounded the vehicle and transported it to the Tamale Regional Headquarters for further examination.

• Nigerian in court over $2.1m seized drugs

Uchechukwu Chima, a 56-year-old Nigerian who was arrested in Ghana over suspected narcotic substances worth $2.1 million, was hauled before a High Court in Accra in April 2025.

Uchechukwu Chima, who had been on the radar of the Narcotic Control Commission NACOC) for a long time was arrested at Oyarifa, a suburb of Accra, on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. The arrest followed an intelligence-led operation by NACOC operatives.

A search conducted by the NACOC team at the suspect’s hideout uncovered substances suspected to be narcotic drugs.

Field tests conducted on the suspected substance proved positive for cocaine and heroin, both narcotic drugs.

The suspected narcotic substances, with a total weight of about 192kg of cocaine and 0.42kg of heroin, were estimated at a street value of US$2.1 million.

• NIB seizes $350m worth of cocaine in major bust

The National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) intercepted a massive 3.3-tonne cocaine shipment on March 4, 2025, en route to Accra from the Western Region.

The drugs, worth $350 million, were hidden in 143 sacks buried under sand in a tipper truck.

However, NIB operatives uncovered the illicit cargo at Pedu Junction, Cape Coast, marking one of Ghana’s largest drug seizures.

The truck’s driver, Isaac Quaicoo (39), and his mate, Kenneth Cobbinah (25), were arrested and are assisting with investigations.

Further intelligence led authorities to a suspect’s residence, where a March 8 search uncovered 13 more sacks and a bag of suspected cocaine, weighing 345.07 kg.

Laboratory tests by NACOC and the Ghana Standards Authority confirmed the total haul at 3,319.68 kg, with purity levels between 50% and 70%.

• GH₵20m worth of opioids seized at Tema port

In the same month, authorities intercepted a shipment of opioid drugs valued at approximately GH₵20 million at the Tema Port, preventing their illegal transit to Niger.

The bust was led by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in collaboration with key enforcement agencies.

The intercepted shipment included:

• 26 cartons of Rahol Tapentadol 250 mg
• 160 cartons of Tafradol Tapentadol 120 mg
• 40 cartons of Timaking Tapentadol 120 mg
• 190 cartons of Loperamide 2 mg
• 320 cartons of Chlorpheniramine Maleate

• NACOC seizes 73 slabs of suspected cocaine at Tema; 4 arrested

On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, NACOC intercepted a significant quantity of suspected cocaine during a routine cargo inspection at the Swiss Port in Tema.

Officials say the consignment, which was being prepared for export to the Netherlands, was found to contain concealed packages of a substance believed to be cocaine.

Upon further examination, a total of seventy-three (73) slabs, estimated to weigh approximately 89.74 kilograms, were seized by the Commission.

Following the discovery, four individuals were arrested in connection with the attempted smuggling operation.

• NACOC nabs alleged drug kingpin at Kuntunse gym

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has arrested Geoffrey Agbi, the suspected mastermind behind a local drug trafficking network, during a targeted operation at a gym within the Kuntunse Spirit Filling Station near Amasaman.

In a press statement issued on Saturday, May 31, 2025, NACOC confirmed that Agbi was apprehended on Friday, May 30, at approximately 6:20 p.m., following weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance by a special operations team.

“Several substances suspected to be illicit drugs were discovered and retrieved from his inner office,” the statement read.

Agbi is currently in custody and assisting with ongoing investigations.

• Over 500,000 tramadol pills seized at Tema Port

In June 2025, officials at the Tema Port seized a massive shipment of over 500,000 units of high-strength Tramadol tablets and capsules, hidden within cargo linked to Hayaq Logistics.

The discovery was made by the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in partnership with the Customs Division as part of a wider crackdown on illegal pharmaceutical imports.

The intercepted drugs, branded as KIMAKING Tramadol, were found in two separate batches and had been deliberately misdeclared in the shipping documents.

Officials say this was a clear attempt to slip the shipment through regulatory checks unnoticed.

• 14 arrested in major drug bust in Eastern region

Fourteen persons are currently in the custody of the Ghana Police Service for their alleged involvement in the possession, trafficking, and distribution of illegal drugs in the Birim Central and Asene Manso Akroso districts of the Eastern Region.

The arrests were made during a targeted operation led by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) in Akim Oda and Akroso.

The operation, executed after weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance, aimed to dismantle an entrenched drug trafficking network operating in the area.

Authorities also shut down three licensed chemical stores found to be selling unregistered and controlled pharmaceutical substances without proper authorisation.

A significant haul of illegal drugs, including cannabis and a locally known substance referred to as “red”, was seized in some large stockpiles, indicating a well-organised distribution system.

• Police arrest two suspects in possession of 11 large parcels of narcotics

Two persons in possession of eleven large compressed sacks of a substance suspected to be narcotics at Ayi Mensah in Greater Accra were arrested on June 7, 2025, by the police.

The police in a statement named the suspects as Mathew Narkotey and Augustine Teye.

It said the operation was done in conjunction with the National Operations Department (NOD) and that it was during a routine patrol at Ayi Mensah on June 7, 2025, where the suspects were found in possession of the 11 large sacks of compressed substances believed to be narcotics.

The suspects were driving a Mazda pickup truck with registration number GT 3490-P, according to the police, when a search found the substances had been concealed.

The car has since been seized along with the suspected substances and taken to the Joint Operations Centre for analysis.

Furthermore, both suspects were detained by the police and are assisting with the ongoing investigations.

• Tamale drug bust: Police seize over 400 boxes of tramadol

The Northern Regional Police Command on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, arrested a 53-year-old man, Alhaji Abdulai Sayuti, for the unlawful possession and sale of restricted pharmaceutical drugs in Tamale.

According to a police statement, officers conducted an intelligence-led operation around 1:30 p.m. at Victory Cinema near Aboabo, where Sayuti operates an Over-The-Counter (OTC) chemical shop.

A search of the premises uncovered 368 blisters of tramadol (120 mg) and 298 blisters of tramaking (120 mg)—both potent opioids strictly regulated under Ghanaian law.

The investigation didn’t stop there. Acting on further intelligence, police raided the suspect’s residence in Fuo, a suburb of Tamale, where they discovered a warehouse stocked with 447 boxes of tramadol and 11 boxes of tramadol-making, an alarming quantity far exceeding legal limits for retail use.

Sayuti was arraigned in court on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, where he pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful possession and unauthorised sale of controlled drugs.

• 8 arrested in Ayanfuri as police target illegal mining and drugs

Police in Ghana’s Central North Region in June 2025 arrested eight individuals in Ayanfuri in a renewed effort to clamp down on illegal mining and the drug trade linked to it.

Among those arrested were five Ghanaians and three Burkinabe nationals.

The police seized several items during the raid, including five water pumps, a gasoline generator, bowls of sand believed to contain gold, and a gallon of cyanide.

The use of cyanide in these unregulated operations raises serious concerns about water pollution and health risks, especially as many rivers across Ghana are already unsafe for use.

• Police arrest 26 suspects in drug operation at Aflao

The Volta Regional Police Command on 24 May 2025 arrested 26 suspects for drug-related offences during an intelligence-led operation conducted at the Aflao Border enclave in the Volta Region.

A statement issued by the Command indicated that the arrests were carried out at multiple locations as part of a targeted operation to curb suspected drug trafficking and related criminal activities in the area.

Items seized from the suspects included 20 wraps of substances believed to be Indian hemp, 12 sachets of Tramadol tablets, and a quantity of dried leaves, also suspected to be Indian hemp, stored in a rubber bucket.

The police also recovered cash totalling GHC 30,558.00 and 17,500 CFA.

Additional items found included six drug-infused toffees, eight creams suspected to contain narcotic substances, and 26 compressed parcels of Indian hemp hidden in a fertiliser sack.

• Police arrest 29-year-old man for alleged drug trafficking

The Airport District Police on May 10, 2025, arrested a 29-year-old Adam Mohamed at Aboabo No.1 for alleged drug trafficking.

Officers discovered large quantities of Tramadol and over GHS 66,000, suspected to be proceeds from drug sales. He remains in custody as investigations continue.