The Executive Secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), Duncan Amoah, has called for a nationwide campaign to tackle drug abuse among Ghanaian youth, alongside efforts to address drug trafficking through the country’s ports.
According to him, the fight against drugs should not focus only on strengthening port security but must also address the growing use of narcotics within local communities.
Speaking amid investigations into a major cocaine shipment from Ghana, Mr Amoah urged the government to organise national and regional sensitisation programmes, especially in communities where drug abuse is widespread.
He said the President and key government officials should take part in such programmes and engage directly with communities affected by drug use.
Mr Amoah stressed the need for a coordinated national effort to reduce drug use among young people.
His comments come as authorities investigate how nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine, valued at about €225 million, was transported from Ghana to France.
French customs officials seized the cocaine from a container carrying plastic waste after it arrived at the Port of Dunkirk from Ghana on September 10.
Six people have since been arraigned before the Kwabenya Circuit Court in connection with the shipment.
They were denied bail and remanded until September 24 as investigations continue.
Four of the accused persons are officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority’s Customs Division.
The prosecution alleges that the containers were scanned and the images showed abnormalities before the shipment was cleared for export.
Mr Amoah welcomed the arrests but cautioned security agencies against violating the rights of suspects during the investigation.
He said investigators must establish the individual responsibility of each person rather than assume that everyone connected to the shipment was involved in drug trafficking.
According to him, some individuals could have been negligent without necessarily being drug dealers.
He urged investigators to rely on evidence, including phone records and communication between suspects, to determine what each person knew and whether they played a role in the movement of the cocaine.
