Ten students of Koforidua Technical University (KTU) have been arrested by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) for allegedly producing, distributing and selling cannabis-infused drinks and ice cream during the university’s Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Hall Week celebrations.
The arrests followed an intelligence-led operation by NACOC after officials reportedly received information about the sale of suspected cannabis-laced products at the event.
According to the Commission, the products were being marketed to students and other patrons attending the celebrations on campus.
Among those arrested is 23-year-old Priscilla Tetteh, who investigators believe was the ringleader of the operation.
The remaining nine suspects are also students of the university and are alleged to have played various roles in the production, packaging, distribution and sale of the illicit products.
NACOC said the suspects were apprehended while allegedly selling the cannabis-infused beverages and ice cream during the festivities.
The Commission has not yet disclosed the identities of the other students or the quantity of products seized during the operation.
The suspects are expected to assist investigators as authorities work to determine the full extent of the alleged operation, including how the cannabis was obtained and whether similar activities have taken place on campus in the past.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about drug abuse among young people, particularly within tertiary institutions where large social events often attract hundreds of students and visitors.
Security agencies have repeatedly warned that narcotic substances are increasingly being disguised in food, drinks and confectioneries, making them difficult to detect and increasing the risk of unsuspecting individuals consuming them.
Under Ghana’s narcotics laws, the unauthorised possession, production, trafficking or distribution of cannabis remains a criminal offence, although the country permits the regulated cultivation of industrial hemp under strict licensing conditions for industrial and medicinal purposes.
