40kg Bust Scandal: NACOC Provides New Update As Suspect Names Alleged Accomplice at Ghana Airport

• The Narcotics Control Commission arrested a Syrian, a Tunisian, and a Lebanese national in Ghana on Tuesday, November 3, 2026
• The arrests followed the interception of 40kg of a controlled substance at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport on 31 October 2026
• Lebanese and Ghanaian authorities have been sharing intelligence as investigators work to uncover a wider international network

Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has arrested three foreign nationals, a Syrian, a Tunisian, and a Lebanese national, in connection with a 40-kilogram consignment intercepted at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, according to sources close to JoyNews.

The suspects, comprising two men and a woman, were picked up in separate intelligence-led operations on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Two were arrested in Accra earlier in the day, with the third apprehended at around 5 p.m.

Seizure at Beirut Airport, Lebanon

The chain of events began on Saturday, 31 October 2026, when a Syrian national arriving from Accra aboard a Middle East Airlines flight was stopped by Lebanese Customs officers at Beirut's main airport.

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A search of the passenger's luggage uncovered 40 packages containing 40 kilograms of a controlled substance.

According to Lebanese authorities, the packages had been concealed using sophisticated insulation materials and specialised packaging designed to defeat airport scanning equipment.

Authorities detained the passenger at the airport on arrival.

Lebanese law enforcement subsequently shared intelligence with their Ghanaian counterparts, triggering the operations that led to the three arrests in Ghana within days of the Beirut seizure.

Ghana and Lebanon join forces in investigation

Investigators from both countries are now working together to establish how the consignment moved from Accra to Beirut and to identify any additional individuals who may have facilitated its movement.

Authorities are also seeking to determine whether the suspects are linked to a broader international network behind the shipment.

No names have been released for any of the three suspects held in Ghana, and NACOC had not issued an official public statement at the time of reporting.

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The case represents a notable instance of cross-border law enforcement cooperation, with intelligence exchanged between Accra and Beirut proving decisive in securing the arrests within days of the airport interception.

Suspect exposes his alleged accomplices in Ghana

Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that a Syrian national arrested at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport on October 31, 2026, while allegedly carrying 40kg of illegal substance sourced from Ghana, has reportedly broken his silence and shared how he managed to leave Accra without being detected.

According to LBC journalist Wissam Nasarallah, a source at Beirut Airport said that during questioning, the suspect claimed he paid bribes to officials at Accra International Airport, who in turn let him pass through security checkpoints without being searched.

The man reportedly said he was promised a total of US$3,000 upon successfully delivering the illegal substance to a contact waiting outside the Lebanon airport.

Source: YEN.com.gh