Two hundred and seventeen (217) people were busted for their involvement in the trafficking and distribution of narcotic substances across the country in 2025 by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), compared with seventy-three (73) in 2024.

The information was made public at a press conference on Thursday, September 24, by Majority Leader James Agalga. According to him, the figures demonstrate the government’s intensified efforts to combat drug trafficking, particularly when compared with the number of arrests recorded under the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.

He added, “In 2024, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) recorded 73 arrests nationwide. Then the Commission’s most productive enforcement year on record under this government. NACOC enforcement operations in 2025 produced 217 arrests across 165 cases, an increase of 197 percent.

“So let’s compare the figures, 73 arrests versus 217 arrests across 165 cases. And in percentage terms, we are looking at a 197 percent increase between the arrests effected in 2024 and the arrests effected in 2025.”

The revelation comes at a time when Ghana has come under scrutiny following the seizure of cocaine worth €225 million in France, allegedly linked to a shipment from Ghana.

On Saturday, September 12, French customs authorities intercepted nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine, estimated to be worth €225 million (approximately US$261.45 million), concealed in a consignment of plastic waste that originated from Ghana and arrived at Dunkirk in northern France.

The seizure was carried out on Thursday, September 10, at the northern port of Dunkirk. The drugs were hidden in a container that was reportedly en route to Antwerp, Belgium, in part.

French authorities say the interception followed a judicial police operation targeting a criminal syndicate believed to be behind the consignment. Meanwhile, four Customs officers are among 10 individuals detained as part of an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking through Ghana’s ports.

Over the past 18 months, Ghana has been featured repeatedly in major trafficking cases. On 4 March 2025, more than 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed beneath sand and reportedly travelling from Takoradi to Accra, with an estimated street value exceeding US$350 million, were intercepted.

More recently, government authorities have stepped up efforts to curb the illegal smuggling and sale of prohibited goods, including narcotic drugs, across the country. In August, three persons were remanded by an Accra Circuit Court for allegedly concealing 869 slabs of suspected cocaine in bags of gari and cassava powder in Tema.

The accused persons are Gilano Jorgino Holwin, a Dutch security guard; Alhaji Iddrisu Haruna, a 56-year-old transporter; and John Mensah Sarbah, a 41-year-old clearing agent.

On August 5, police officers stationed at the Tema Regional Criminal Investigations Department apprehended the defendants at the Golden Suvineur warehouse at the Main Harbour in Tema, after acting on intelligence.

The latest interception comes months after the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) seized a consignment containing approximately five million Tramadol tablets valued at an estimated GH¢100 million at the Accra International Airport (AIA) following an intelligence-led operation.

Police also arrested three suspects linked to the intercepted consignment. In a related development, the Police in March arrested nine public officers, including five Customs officials, for their alleged involvement in an undeclared Tramadol consignment at Tema Port.

The remaining four comprised one officer each from the Narcotics Control Commission, Port Security, the Energy Commission, and the Ghana Standards Authority.