The Minority in Parliament is calling for an independent parliamentary inquiry into a number of major drug seizures linked to Ghana, saying the total value of the consignments involved is more than US$1 billion in less than two years.
According to the Minority, the large amount of drugs seized, together with the failure to identify and prosecute the people believed to be behind the shipments, raises serious questions about how effective Ghana’s fight against drug trafficking really is.
In a statement issued on Sunday, September 13, the Minority focused on several major drug cases, including the March 2025 cocaine seizure at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast.
In that case, the National Intelligence Bureau intercepted more than 3.3 tonnes of cocaine hidden under sand in a tipper truck travelling from Takoradi to Accra. The drugs were estimated to have a street value of more than US$350 million.
The Minority said that more than a year after the seizure, only the driver, a housemaid and a few other suspects described as peripheral figures have been put before the court. They are reportedly still on bail.
However, the people believed to have financed the shipment or played leading roles in the drug trade have not been identified or prosecuted, according to the Minority.
The Minority also mentioned another seizure involving about 120 slabs of cocaine worth around US$150 million along the Takoradi–Cape Coast highway.
It further referred to the August 2026 seizure of 866 parcels of suspected cocaine found at a warehouse within the Tema Harbour enclave.
The statement also pointed to major drug seizures outside Ghana that were linked to the country.
In June 2026, Australian authorities seized 320kg of methamphetamine worth about US$261 million. The drugs were hidden in a shipment of charcoal that had been traced to Ghana.
Then, on September 10, French customs authorities seized nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine, valued at more than US$260 million, from a container carrying plastic waste. The container had departed from Ghana.
The Minority said these cases suggest that there may be a much bigger drug trafficking problem than the seizures alone show. It questioned how much illegal drugs could be moving through Ghana without being detected.
It also criticised what it described as a repeated pattern where drivers, couriers and freight-forwarding agents are arrested and prosecuted, while the alleged owners, financiers and major players behind the shipments remain free.
The Minority is therefore asking Parliament to summon the relevant Ministers, as well as the heads of security and regulatory agencies, to explain what has happened with the investigations into these cases.
It wants the authorities to explain why the alleged financiers and principal traffickers have not been identified and prosecuted. It is also asking for details on what is being done to stop Ghana’s ports, airports and territorial waters from being used by international drug trafficking networks.
The Minority is also demanding answers about the July 2025 MV Sankofa incident.
It wants to know what happened before the vessel was released after reportedly paying only part of a nearly GH¢12 million fine. The vessel was later arrested in Senegal with narcotics on board.
According to the Minority, the parliamentary inquiry should determine whether there was any complicity, negligence or failure of oversight by state institutions involved in the matter.
“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,” the Minority said.
The Minority says it will continue to push for answers and accountability until the full circumstances surrounding the drug seizures are established and those responsible are brought to justice.
