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 the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) and the Ghana Standards Authority confirmed the total haul at 3,319.68 kg, with purity levels between 50% and 70%.
Investigators identified a man named Charles Hagan as the mastermind behind the operation and later uncovered more suspected narcotics at the home of Francis Awortwi, a close associate.
Additional accomplices remain at large, and the NIB is actively tracking them down.
Quaicoo and Cobbinah have been remanded in custody and will reappear in court on April 2, 2025.
This bust follows several major drug seizures in Ghana.
In June 2024, authorities intercepted 166 kg of cocaine at Kotoka International Airport from two British nationals attempting to smuggle $6.48 million worth of the drug to London.
With drug traffickers using increasingly sophisticated methods, Ghana’s security forces remain relentless in dismantling organized crime networks.