Nigerian Man Arrested At Oyarifa In $2.1 Million Drug Bust

• The Narcotics Control Commission arrested a 56-year-old Nigerian at Oyarifa in a major drug bust
• The arrest occurred on March 18, 2025, and led to the discovery of narcotics at the suspect’s hideout
• The Narcotics Control Commission said the suspect is linked to past drug-related incidents in Ghana

The Narcotics Control Commission arrested a 56-year-old Nigerian at Oyarifa in a drug bust.

The suspect has been identified as Uchechukwu Chima.

The arrest occurred on March 18, 2025, and led to the discovery of narcotics at the suspect’s hideout.

Field tests confirmed the substances as narcotics, with an estimated street value of $2.1 million.

According to a statement from the commission, Chima was under surveillance for some time and was linked to several past drug-related incidents in Ghana.

"The suspect, Uchechukwu Chima who has been a target for NACOC for some time now, is noted to be the brain behind some seizures/arrests made by NACOC in the past."

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Drug shipment stopped from coming to Ghana

In November 2024, Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency seized 50,000 pills of Tramadol 225mg being smuggled from Ghana into Lagos.

The pills were hidden in a bus allegedly belonging to GUO Transport Company.

The Daily Post in Nigeria reported that the bus was stopped on November 16 last year along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

Further reports indicated that the busted drug highlighted concerns over smuggling between the two West African countries.

Tramadol is popular with smugglers because of the demand for it. This has prompted some interventions against the narcotic.

For example, in 2018, broadcaster Nana Aba Anamoah embarked on a campaign on tramadol abuse to sensitise the youth and Ghana at large about the 'cancer' that was destroying and killing both old and young alike.

Ghanaian in US army jailed for smuggling

In another case of smuggling, a US Army major was sentenced to 70 months in prison for his involvement in a firearms smuggling operation to Ghana after he was found guilty last year.

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Kojo Owusu Dartey is also facing three years of supervised release for his crimes after he was convicted of conspiracy, dealing in firearms without a licence, and smuggling goods from the US, among other offences.

The US Attorney's Office for North Carolina also noted that played a key role in a marriage fraud scheme involving soldiers at Fort Liberty and foreign nationals from Ghana.

During the trial, from June 28 and July 2, 2021, Dartey is said to have purchased seven firearms in the Fort Liberty area and acquired three more to smuggle to Ghana.

BBC exposes Indian company in Ghana

YEN.com.gh reported that the BBC exposed an Indian pharma company manufacturing highly addictive opioids and exporting them illegally to Ghana.

Packets of products branded with the Aveo logo were found for sale on the streets of Tamale, which is a contravention of regulations on exporting these narcotics.

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The BBC reported that many youths were taking illegal opioids with a city chief, Alhassan Maham, creating a new task force to disrupt drug dealers in Tamale.

Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.

Source: YEN.com.gh