An estimated 82,500 people in Ghana use drugs, with the Ashanti Region accounting for about 16,300 of them. These drugs include heroin, cocaine, tramadol and methamphetamine, but exclude cannabis.

This information was made public by the Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Major General Maxwell Obuba on Wednesday, August 12, during the International Youth Day celebration.

“Research conducted by the University of Ghana School of Public Health in 2025 estimated that there are 82,500 people who use drugs in Ghana. Out of this, 16,300 are from the Ashanti Region,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), has intensified efforts to reduce drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking through public education, prevention programmes, rehabilitation initiatives, and stronger enforcement measures.

In May, the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed Mubarak, disclosed that more than 6,000 of the over 100,000 applicants who took part in the medical screening stage of the ongoing security services recruitment failed the exercise.

In February, the Northern Regional Command of the Narcotics Control Commission seized and destroyed narcotics worth about GH₵2.5 million.

The drugs were held at the Registry of the Circuit Court in Tamale and later destroyed after the prosecution of the persons involved in the trafficking of the drugs, following a court order issued by His Honour Francis Ayamwuni Asobayire, Circuit Court Judge.

NACOC destroyed boxes of Tafrado 120mg, blisters of Tramadol, boxes of Royal 225mg, as well as quantities of marijuana at the Gbalahi Landfill site near Tamale, which was witnessed by representatives of various state agencies, including the Ghana Police Service, and members of the media.

Mr Issahaque Bakuri, Northern Regional Commander of the Narcotics Control Commission, said the disposal formed part of measures to curb the smuggling and abuse of illicit drugs in the country.

“We are taking frantic measures to combat drug abuse and promote a healthier society in the region and the country at large,” he said.

To prevent further smuggling of such prohibited drugs into the country, Mr. Bakuri indicated that security officers had been stationed at entry points across the region, and intensified efforts have been made to enhance security surveillance at both approved and unapproved entry routes to address the drug menace.

Mr. Bakuri urged individuals battling drug addiction to seek counselling and rehabilitation services. More than 11 nationwide intelligence-led swoops have been conducted between March and December this year by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), aimed at cracking down on illicit drug activities.

Speaking to the media on Friday, December 19, the Acting Director of Public Affairs and International Relations at NACOC, PNCO Francis Opoku Amoah, indicated that during that period, the swoops were carried out in areas such as:

“From March till now, we have conducted more than 11 swoops, which, in our line of work, is a good number because investigations take time. For us to have achieved this means we are doing well.

“This year, we have carried out swoops in Fadama, Effiakuma in the Western Region, Atinkpoko, parts of the Ashanti Region, and other areas. It all depends on where the intelligence is coming from and the type of intelligence we receive,” he said.

In September, 1,195 boxes of Tramadol Hydrochloride 120mg, locally known as ‘Red,’ were confiscated, with six individuals arrested following a joint operation by the Ghana Police Service and NACOC. The seizure took place at Gbintri, near Nalerigu in the North East Region, on Thursday, September 18.

This information was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Robert Anabiik Anmain of the Public Affairs Unit and issued by the North East Regional Police Command on September 21.

The trucks, with registration numbers GR 1712-16 and AW 4417-14, were loaded with Tramadol en route to Gbintri from Sankase in the Republic of Togo.

The suspects have been identified as Alhassan Braimah, Yakubu Muntaka, Abdulai Shakur, Mumuni Iddrisu, Mumuni Yakubu, and Moses Ayorik.