The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has challenged President John Dramani Mahama to take decisive action against narcotics trafficking, warning that repeated cocaine seizures involving shipments linked to Ghana are damaging the country’s international reputation.
In a post on X on Thursday, November 12, the lawmaker questioned the status of investigations the President ordered into the alleged Gran Canaria cocaine flights, and demanded an update on the government’s commitment to a zero-tolerance approach to drug trafficking.
“Mr President @JDMahama, how far with the investigation you ordered into the Gran Canaria cocaine flights? What happened to your commitment to ensuring zero tolerance to drug trafficking?
“Ghana under your tenure now faces international embarrassment, ranked 5th in the world in cocaine trafficking to Belgium. Since your X post on 1st April 2025, almost every month records major drug busts running into tons and hundreds of millions of dollars, busted overseas, linked to Ghana,’ the X post read.
“Under your tenure, over $3bn worth of drugs have been busted overseas linked to Ghana, with several billions trafficked undetected. Ghana’s once-reputed image keeps sinking by the day.
“Govt officials, drug networks, and state agencies are milking hundreds of millions from the trade under your watch, and yet the enabling agreement signed by Okudzeto with Colombia for direct and open shipments between Tema and Cartagena Ports has not been canceled.
“Your Excellency, this is certainly not the reset legacy Ghanaians hoped for at your second coming. Crack the whip and restore Ghana’s sinking image to its once-reputable, narcotics-intolerant state,’ the X post further read.
John Ntim Fordjour cited recent drug interceptions overseas, including the seizure of 2,600 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in a shipment of coconuts from Ghana at Spain’s Port of Valencia, and the confiscation of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine from a Ghana-origin container at France’s Port of Dunkirk in September.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour claimed that more than US$3 billion worth of drugs linked to Ghana had been seized overseas under the current administration, with other consignments allegedly passing undetected.
He also referenced a reported ranking that places Ghana fifth globally in cocaine trafficking to Belgium.
The lawmaker further questioned why an agreement he said Okudzeto signed with Colombia to facilitate direct shipments between the ports of Tema and Cartagena had not been canceled.
He also alleged that state officials and agencies were benefiting from the drug trade, although he provided no evidence in the post to substantiate the claims.
The Assin South MP urged President Mahama to act against those involved in the trade and take steps to restore Ghana’s reputation as a country intolerant of narcotics trafficking.
The latest Spanish interception led to the arrest of two people in Almeria after cocaine was discovered hidden beneath false compartments in wooden boxes used to transport coconuts. Spanish authorities have not identified any Ghanaian nationals as suspects or announced arrests in Ghana.
