President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday chaired an emergency meeting of security chiefs at Jubilee House and received a detailed briefing on investigations into the recent trafficking of drugs out of Ghana’s ports, before directing the formation of an inter-agency task force to deliver a comprehensive roadmap within two weeks to prevent narcotics from moving through the country’s borders.
Ten Detained, Four Customs Officers Under Investigation
According to a statement issued after the meeting by Minister of Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu, ten suspects are currently in custody, including four officials of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority. The statement did not disclose the identities of those detained or the specific charges they face, emphasizing that investigations remain ongoing and that no individual has been found guilty.
The involvement of four customs officers has become one of the most closely watched aspects of the case. Investigators are working to establish how the drugs were able to pass through Ghana’s port and border security systems.
Background: 3.9 Tonnes of Cocaine Intercepted in France
The president’s decision to convene the security meeting was triggered by the seizure of a massive consignment of cocaine by French customs at the port of Dunkirk in northern France on September 10. Inside a container originating from Ghana and declared as “plastic waste,” authorities discovered nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine, valued at approximately €225 million (about $261 million). Reports indicate that part of the shipment was destined for Antwerp, Belgium.
The French interception immediately raised urgent questions in Ghana about how such a massive quantity of drugs could have passed through the country’s export inspection processes and cleared customs scanning without detection before being loaded onto a vessel.
Ghana’s investigation has since widened to cover multiple actors. A man believed to be the exporter of the consignment, identified as “Frank,” was detained by the National Intelligence Bureau on Wednesday. Investigators are also scrutinizing the role played by the freight forwarding company F&F Logistics, as well as the operations logs of customs scanning room officials on duty that day — whether the container was scanned, what the scan images revealed, who reviewed them, and why it was ultimately cleared for shipment.
The “Bolle Jos” Shadow: Eight Major Seizures, 12.7 Tonnes of Narcotics
The Dunkirk interception is far from an isolated incident. According to an investigation by The Herald, at least eight major transnational drug seizures linked to Ghana have occurred over a 17-month period between April 2025 and September 2026, involving a cumulative total of at least 12.7 tonnes of cocaine and suspected cocaine, plus 320 kilograms of methamphetamine and cannabis-related substances. The cases span multiple countries, including Ghana, the Netherlands, Belgium, Australia, and France, with destinations covering Europe, the United Kingdom, Dubai, and Australia.
French and Dutch investigators have established links suggesting the Dunkirk seizure is connected to the network of fugitive Dutch drug lord Jos Leijdekkers, known as “Bolle Jos.” Sources indicate the network may have been storing large quantities of cocaine in Ghana and exploiting weaknesses in the country’s port and shipping systems to move narcotics to Europe.
Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has confirmed the arrest of three suspects linked to the “Bolle Jos” drug trafficking network.
Earlier Warnings: President Called for Targeting “Kingpins”
President Mahama had in fact repeatedly signaled his concern about the drug problem before this latest scandal. In April, during a civic engagement event in Tamale, he called for a “major shift” in Ghana’s anti-narcotics strategy, urging security agencies to focus on dismantling large trafficking networks rather than street-level dealers, and to target the organizers and financiers behind the trade. In May, he publicly disclosed that he had directed security agencies to take a hard line, stating that “a lot of containers” had since been destroyed.
Interior Minister Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka disclosed in August that over a 20-month period from January 2025 to July 2026, Ghanaian security agencies had seized more than 8,500 kilograms of narcotics and approximately 45.4 million tablets of tramadol, arrested 217 people, and filed 165 prosecutions. Authorities have also pursued drug-related financial networks, freezing approximately GH₵6.9 million and $440,000 in cash, and recovering 73 drug-related assets along with about 19 kilograms of gold linked to drug money laundering.
Parliamentary Pressure: “Our Image Is Sinking”
John Ntim Fordjour, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, has issued a warning over the string of major drug seizures involving Ghana, saying bluntly that “our image is sinking” and expressing concern that the country is being seen internationally as a “Cocaine Coast.” He questioned why major international seizures had not translated into high-level arrests and prosecutions at home.
It is against this backdrop that the president’s directive was issued. Under the arrangement, the inter-agency task force will build on the discussions from Thursday’s security meeting and submit a detailed operational roadmap to the president within two weeks outlining measures to prevent drug trafficking through Ghana’s borders.
