Akwapim North MP Sammi Awuku has called for stronger action to dismantle the financial networks behind narcotics trafficking through Ghana, warning that the country risks being branded a safe haven for the illegal drug trade.
Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Tuesday, 15 September, Awuku said recent drug seizures involving Ghana, including consignments intercepted overseas, pointed to what he described as a serious and systemic threat.
He cited several reported seizures in Ghana and abroad, including cocaine consignments linked to Ghana that were intercepted in Australia and Europe.
Awuku said the scale of the seizures should prompt authorities to go beyond arresting couriers and focus on identifying and prosecuting those who finance and organise the trafficking operations.
“The moment the nation becomes labelled and you also become very vulnerable to unnecessary external attacks,” he said, stressing the potential implications for Ghana’s international reputation.
The MP questioned why it has proved difficult to identify, prosecute and secure convictions against alleged financiers and principal traffickers behind major narcotics operations.
He stopped short of saying that the relevant institutions lacked the will to act, but said agencies responsible for financial intelligence, economic and organised crime investigations and prosecution needed to “up their game”.
According to Awuku, drug trafficking networks have evolved and authorities must adapt their methods to keep pace with increasingly sophisticated trafficking techniques.
“These illicit and illegal drug activities and trade has taken a much more diverse approach. The old way of trafficking does not exist now; they’ve modified the approaches,” he said.
He also raised concerns about Ghana’s handling of a foreign vessel that entered the country’s waters and, according to his account, was found to have violated multiple statutory requirements.
Awuku said the Ghana Maritime Authority had identified numerous certification and compliance violations involving the vessel and that the case had implications for national security, maritime borders and environmental protection.
He questioned why the vessel was subsequently allowed to leave Ghana after the reported violations and argued that such incidents demonstrated the need for stronger enforcement of Ghana’s maritime laws.
The MP also called for greater transparency in the government’s handling of major narcotics investigations, including regular public updates on investigations, prosecutions and the recovery of criminal assets, while acknowledging that authorities would need to protect ongoing investigations.
“We’re always kept in the dark,” he said, arguing that drug-trafficking cases involving potentially large sums of money have implications for Ghana’s credibility and public interest beyond politically sensitive cases.
Awuku said Parliament should play a stronger oversight role in scrutinising the agencies responsible for Ghana’s borders, ports, airports and narcotics control.
He disclosed that the parliamentary committee responsible for public administration and state interests was scheduled to engage several of the relevant agencies between September 21 and October 2.
He said those engagements could help Parliament establish what had gone wrong and what measures were being taken to prevent Ghana from becoming a major transit point for narcotics.
Awuku welcomed the President’s decision to convene a high-level meeting on border security and narcotics trafficking, but stressed that the effectiveness of the government’s response would ultimately depend on the ministries and agencies responsible for implementation.
He urged the institutions responsible for Ghana’s borders, ports, airports and narcotics control to prioritise the interests of the state and strengthen efforts to protect the country’s reputation and security.
Editor:
Obiri-Yeboah
