Senior Manager at Manufacturing Company Caught Smuggling Coke Out of Ghana in Gari at Airport
- Operatives of the Narcotics Control Commission have made a big drug bust at a major Ghanaian airport
- The suspect was apprehended at the Kotoka International Airport following an intelligence-led operation
- Authorities said investigations to establish the circumstances of the attempted shipment are underway
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Operatives of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) have arrested a senior manager of a manufacturing company for allegedly attempting to smuggle narcotics out of Ghana.
Graphic Online reported that the suspect, whose name has not been officially disclosed, is alleged to have concealed the illicit substances in a consignment of packaged gari.
Source: Getty Images
He was apprehended at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) following an intelligence-led operation.
The suspect is believed to be in charge of production at the manufacturing company.
Authorities said investigations are ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the attempted shipment and to determine whether other individuals may be linked to the alleged syndicate.
The Deputy Director in charge of Enforcement, Control, and Elimination at NACOC, Alexander Twum-Barimah, first hinted at the arrest on Angel FM earlier on February 11.
Past instances of illicit smuggling in Ghana
In 2024, the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) interdicted some staff allegedly involved in a narcotics smuggling incident at the major airport in Accra.
The incident was discovered after the smuggler was apprehended by Brussels police in Belgium.
The GACL assured the general public that it was committed to ensuring safety and security at the KIA.
Five businessmen arrested at the Kotoka International Airport for drug smuggling were jailed for 60 years.
The five were caught with 2,200 grams of narcotics at the airport in 2019 after surveillance by authorities.
They had been importing narcotics from Brazil and other countries, according to the Intelligence Unit of the Narcotic Control Board.
Volta police arrest suspect over GH¢1m narcotics
Police officers in the Volta Region rejected a reported $20,000 bribe from a man transporting narcotics to Nigeria.
The suspect was arrested on January 21, 2026, after the narcotics worth GH¢1.032 million were intercepted.
The Chronicle reported that the suspect was identified as 46-year-old Nigerian international Charles Adenkule.
He was stopped at the Kpotame barrier, located between Ada Junction in the Greater Accra Region and Sogakope, in the South Tongu district, at about 6:30 pm.
Source: UGC
A search of the vehicle uncovered 10 parcels of compressed substances suspected to be coke and about half a kilogram of compressed dried leaves, suspected to be Indian hemp, hidden behind the vehicle’s inner lining.
Similar shows of integrity from police have happened in the past, with the police arresting four people with 104 bags of narcotics during a special operation in 2023.
Smuggling between Ghana and Nigeria
YEN.com.gh reported in November 2024 that security agencies intercepted a consignment of smuggled mining explosives.
The explosives, believed to have been constructed in Nigeria, were transported by road and brought in through the Kpoglo border.
The Chronicle reported that the seizure on May 29, 2024, was made by security agencies at the Segbe Border Post, north of Aflao.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
