CDM demands probe into Ghana’s port security after 3.9-tonne cocaine seizure

The Centre for Democratic Movement (CDM) has called for a thorough investigation into Ghana’s security and port inspection systems following the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine in France from a container linked to Ghana.

French authorities reportedly discovered the cocaine concealed in plastic waste inside a container originating from Ghana at the Port of Dunkirk.

The seizure has prompted the CDM to question how such a large consignment of narcotics was able to leave Ghana without being detected by the country’s security, customs and port authorities.

The group said the development raises concerns about possible weaknesses in Ghana’s container inspection regime and questioned whether the relevant security agencies adequately informed President John Dramani Mahama about vulnerabilities within the system.

The CDM also drew attention to a 2018 reform that removed the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) from routine physical inspection of containers.

However, former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul has clarified that NACOC continued to operate at the ports but was no longer permitted to physically inspect containers.

Against this background, the CDM is demanding that officials of the security, customs, maritime and port agencies explain their respective roles and responsibilities in relation to the inspection system and the movement of narcotics-linked consignments.

The group is also calling for a bipartisan parliamentary inquiry into the matter to determine what happened and establish responsibility based on evidence rather than political affiliation.

“Each of them must account,” the statement said, as the CDM urged Parliament to review the full record, beginning with the 2018 decision and covering subsequent narcotics seizures recorded in 2025 and 2026.

The group said such an inquiry would help establish whether institutional weaknesses, oversight failures or other factors contributed to the repeated movement of large quantities of narcotics through consignments linked to Ghana.

By: Paulina Armah/Radio1.