NACOC Boss Explains Agency's Role in Abu Trica's 12-Hour Arrest Operation

• NACOC Director-General Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey appeared before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee to answer questions about the agency's role in Abu Trica's arrest
• Mantey disclosed that memoranda of understanding with partner institutions allowed NACOC to deploy personnel and resources in the multi-agency operation
• Abu Trica was arrested on December 11, 2025, over allegations he helped defraud US victims of more than $8 million through an international romance fraud scheme

The head of Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission has broken his silence on why the agency became involved in the arrest of Ghanaian socialite Frederick Kumi, widely known as Abu Trica.

Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), made the clarification when he appeared before Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

His appearance came amid questions about why an agency primarily mandated to tackle narcotics offences had taken part in an operation centred on cybercrime and romance fraud allegations.

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NACOC's contribution to Abu Trica's arrest

In a video shared by Sika Official on X on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, Mantey explained that NACOC operates under several memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with other security institutions, which permit the agencies to share resources, personnel and funding when conducting joint operations.

He noted that some of the Commission's specialised units are funded through these partnership arrangements, and that NACOC equally calls on other bodies when it requires their support.

He confirmed that the Commission worked alongside the Cyber Security Authority, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the Ghana Police Service during the operation.

Mantey also disclosed that he was personally present at the start of the exercise to ensure that proper procedures were followed. NACOC later handed Abu Trica over to the CID once it had completed its role.

The X video of the NACOC boss speaking on the agency's role is below.

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12-Hour operation involved three teams

Earlier testimony from NACOC Deputy Director-General Alexander Twum-Barimah shed further light on the scale of the exercise.

Twum-Barimah revealed that the operation ran for approximately 12 hours and was carried out by three teams, two of which were deployed in Accra while a third operated in the Central Region. All three teams were acting on a court order as part of the coordinated effort.

Abu Trica was arrested on 11 December 2025, following an investigation into an alleged international romance fraud network targeting victims in the United States.

American prosecutors have accused him of participating in a scheme that defrauded victims of more than $8 million, with charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

The case has drawn widespread public attention in Ghana, particularly regarding the involvement of multiple security agencies and the legal proceedings that followed the arrest.

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Mantey's testimony before the PAC has provided greater clarity on the inter-agency framework that made NACOC's participation possible.

NACOC arrests 3 suspects linked to Bolle Jos

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported on NACOC’s arrest of three suspects allegedly linked to Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers and the Minority’s call for an independent inquiry into Ghana’s role in the narcotics trade.

The investigation began after French customs reportedly intercepted a drug shipment tied to a wider network. NACOC says the suspects are in custody as investigators examine their alleged roles.

Source: YEN.com.gh