The Africa Center for Security and Counterterrorism (ACSC) is calling for
urgent transparency and accountability following Ghana’s major cocaine
seizures in the first quarter of 2025. While we initially commended our
security agencies for their vigilance in intercepting these substantial
drug hauls, the subsequent silence and lack of public updates raised
troubling questions about Ghana’s commitment to following through
on these high-profile cases.
In the first three months of 2025, Ghana’s security agencies made several
significant drug busts, including an estimated $350 million cocaine
seizure of 3.3 tonnes by the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) in March
and a $150 million cocaine seizure on the Takoradi-Cape Coast Highway.
Additionally, suspicious aircraft landings at Kotoka International Airport
generated significant public interest after allegations emerged about
potential drug trafficking.
Two months have passed without substantive updates on prosecutions,
judicial proceedings, or the secure storage of these seized substances.
This pattern of silence after highly publicized drug busts is unfortunately
familiar to Ghanaians, who have witnessed previous cases where seized

substances mysteriously disappeared or were revealed to be something
other than what was initially claimed.
Democratic governance demands transparency. When security agencies
trumpet major drug busts with great fanfare but then go silent on
follow-up actions, it undermines public trust in these institutions.
Ghana’s citizens deserve to know what happens after the press
conferences end.
The ACSC is particularly concerned about:

  1. The $350 Million Cocaine Case: Where are the suspects? What is
    the status of their prosecution? Where is the seized cocaine being
    stored, and under what security protocols?
  2. The Kotoka International Airport Incident: President Mahama
    directed a committee to investigate suspicious aircraft landings,
    but Ghanaians have received no updates on the findings. What did
    the committee discover, and why haven’t its conclusions been
    publicized?
  3. The Chain of Custody: What verification processes are in place to
    ensure that seized substances remain intact and are not tampered
    with or replaced before trial?
  4. Systemic Accountability: Why do drug-related investigations in
    Ghana repeatedly fade from public view after initial announcements?

These questions are not merely academic. Ghana’s position as a transit
point for international drug trafficking has significant security
implications for the entire region. The involvement of transnational
criminal networks in the drug trade poses direct threats to Ghana’s
democratic institutions through corruption and the undermining of the
rule of law.
The ACSC calls for:
Immediate Public Updates: The government must provide
detailed status reports on all major drug seizures from Q1 2025,
including information on prosecutions, the chain of custody for
seized substances, and verification of the substances’ nature and
quantity.
Parliamentary Oversight: Ghana’s Parliament, particularly the
Defence and Interior Committee, must exercise its oversight
responsibility by demanding briefings on these cases.
Independent Verification: Independent laboratories should verify
the content and quantity of seized substances, with results made
public.
Judicial Transparency: Court proceedings related to major drug
cases should be accessible to the media and civil society observers.
Publication of the Kotoka Airport Investigation: The findings of
the presidential committee investigating suspicious aircraft
landings must be made public immediately.

When a democratic government becomes opaque about such issues of
national importance, citizens have reason to question whether state
institutions are complicit in enabling smugglers. The pattern of fanfare
followed by silence raises the troubling possibility that resources are
wasted on committees that never produce results or, worse, on
investigations deliberately designed to fade away.
The ACSC remains committed to keeping these critical issues in the
public consciousness and calls on media outlets, civil society
organizations, and concerned citizens to join us in demanding
transparency and accountability. A functioning democracy cannot allow
such significant security matters to disappear into silence.

Emmanuel Mawanye Kotin
Executive Director