Suspects arrested in connection with the €225 million cocaine seizure in France have no links with the presidency, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has clarified.

The Commission made this public after conducting preliminary background checks on the suspects.

Speaking to the media, Deputy Director-General of NACOC, Alexander Twum-Barimah noted, “From the background that we have done, I don’t have any Presidential bodyguard. President John Dramani Mahama’s bodyguard? Then he has to come clear and explain to us his job description and everything”.

“We have checked all the people that we have in custody, their backgrounds are known to us, and we don’t have any of them who is a Presidential escort”.

The clarification comes at a time when the New Tafo Member of Parliament Vincent Ekow Assafuah has claims that one of the suspects, Musah Atta, was allegedly a member of the security detail of President John Dramani Mahama and the Vice President.

Taking to the X platform, on Friday, September 18, Mr Assafuah, wrote,

“US$261.45 million cocaine bust and one accused, Musah Atta, is reportedly part of the security detail of both the President and Vice President.

“How does a presidential security operative become linked to a case of this magnitude? Who granted the access, and who was watching the watchers?”.

Meanwhile, four Customs officers are among 10 individuals detained as part of an ongoing investigation into drug trafficking through Ghana’s ports.

The identities of those in custody have not yet been disclosed, nor have details of the allegations against them. It is also unclear whether any charges have been filed, as investigations remain ongoing.

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.

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 in connection with 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.