GACL Interdicts All Staff Allegedly Involved In Narcotic Smuggling Scandal At KIA
- The Ghana Airports Company Limited has interdicted all staff allegedly involved in a narcotic smuggling incident at the Kotoka International Airport
- The incident was discovered after the smuggler was apprehended by Brussels police in Belgium
- The GACL assured the general public that it is committed to ensuring safety and security at the KIA
The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has interdicted all staff allegedly implicated in the recent narcotic smuggling incident at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
The impropriety was discovered following a news report by the Herald Newspaper of the arrest of a Dutch national, Proeger Delgey Bianca, at the Brussels Airport in Belgium with 8.5 kilogrammes of a white substance, suspected to be a narcotic.
Source: Getty Images
The report suggests that on March 23, 2024, the suspect smuggled the substance through the Kotoka International Airport aboard the Moroccan national carrier, Royal Air Maroc, with support from a GACL staff member.
The Management of the Ghana Airport Company Limited issued a press release on Wednesday, April 10, stating that it has commenced an investigation into the incident and interdicted all relevant staff.
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It further issued a stern warning to staff against helping passengers at the airport circumnavigate security and checks protocols.
It stated that staff caught flouting the directive would be summarily dismissed and prosecuted by the state in line with existing protocols.
GACL management further assured the general public of its commitment to collaborating with stakeholders to ensure that airport operations are safe and secure.
Interior Minister bars immigration officers from escorting guests at KIA
Meanwhile, the Interior Minister on Thursday, April 4, also issued a stern warning to immigration officers, barring them from escorting guests at the Kotoka International Airport.
He warned that anyone who flouted the new directive would be dismissed immediately.
To ensure compliance, the Interior Minister says his outfit will deploy plain-clothes informants to the KIA to monitor the immigration officers’ compliance with the directive.
He said his fuss with the issue is because it does not demonstrate the necessary professionalism expected of an immigration officer.
He also noted that some officers have been using it to help their friends dodge the routine inspections all travellers must undergo to prevent the transition of contraband across state borders.
This, the Interior Minister says, is unacceptable and must be stopped.
Travellers using KIA to pay $20 for maintenance
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that travellers using the Kotoka International Airport in Accra will be required to pay a new fee to help cover the cost of maintenance.
The new fee will be up to $20 because of a $10 fee that would be charged to each leg of a return trip.
Parliament has summoned Minister for Transport Kwaku Ofori Asiamah to appear before the House because of the fee.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
