The Ghana Police Service has intensified its fight against drug trafficking and violent crime in the Upper East Region following the arrest of 74 suspects in two separate intelligence-led operations carried out by the Inspector-General of Police’s (IGP) Special Operations Team.
The operations, which targeted criminal hideouts and suspected narcotics distribution centres, were conducted in Paga and the Navrongo Municipality between May 20 and May 22, 2026.
According to the Police, the first operation took place at Paga, near the Ghana-Burkina Faso border buffer zone. During the exercise, officers arrested 40 suspects, made up of 28 men and 12 women.
The suspects included 23 Ghanaians, eight Nigerians, six Burkinabés, one Malian and one Togolese national.
Police retrieved several exhibits during the operation, including parcels and sacks containing substances suspected to be narcotic drugs.
Five motorbikes believed to have been used in the transportation and distribution of the substances were also seized.
Two days later, on May 22, the Special Operations Team launched another swoop in the Navrongo Municipality. The operation focused on known criminal hotspots such as the Condemned Road Corridor, “After Six” Spot and “Lighter Inn” Spot.
That operation led to the arrest of 34 additional suspects, comprising 32 males and two females. Officers also retrieved 11 motorbikes, quantities of suspected narcotic substances and assorted foreign cigarettes believed to have been smuggled into the country.
The suspects were arraigned before High Court Two in Navrongo on the same day. The court, presided over by His Lordship Justice Ernest Pascal Gemadzie, remanded 16 suspects into Police custody.
They are expected to reappear before the court on June 4, 2026. The remaining 22 suspects are currently undergoing profiling and further investigations.
The Ghana Police Service says all the suspects remain in custody, assisting with investigations, while efforts continue to identify and arrest other individuals connected to criminal activities in the region.
