Ranking Member of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee and Member of Parliament for Assin South, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, has demanded urgent answers over a series of major drug seizures linked to Ghana, warning that the country faces serious security and reputational risks.
Speaking during Parliament’s one-day emergency sitting on Tuesday, Rev. Ntim Fordjour said the Minority requested the sitting under the Constitution’s Article 112(3) and Standing Order 53 to confront what he described as unanswered questions surrounding Ghana’s involvement in major international drug seizures.
He cited the March 2025 seizure of about 3.3 tonnes of cocaine at the Pedu Junction area near Cape Coast, which he said was valued at more than US$350 million, as well as another cocaine seizure valued at about US$150 million.
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He also referenced the September 2026 seizure in France of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a container carrying recycled plastics from Ghana. French authorities estimated the shipment’s street value at €225 million, or about US$261 million.
The French seizure has since triggered investigations in Ghana, with four Ghanaians facing charges in connection with the shipment. A fifth suspect, Dutch national Jos Leijdekkers, is reported to be at large.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour questioned how large consignments could pass through Ghana’s systems without detection and called for scrutiny of scanning, risk profiling, enforcement and the activities of agencies involved in cargo handling.
The Minority, he said, has placed a motion before Parliament through First Deputy Chief Whip and Tolon MP Habib Idrisu seeking the establishment of an ad hoc committee to investigate the drug shipments.
According to him, the proposed committee would examine how the consignments were assembled, inspected and cleared, as well as the roles of shipping lines, freight forwarders, clearing agents and relevant state agencies.
He said the committee should also investigate whether financiers and organisers were being pursued and trace financial transactions connected to the operations.
Rev. Ntim Fordjour stressed that Parliament’s inquiry should focus on institutional and systemic issues without prejudging cases before the courts.
“Parliament is not a spectator in this matter,” he said, arguing that the House has a constitutional duty to demand answers and strengthen Ghana’s systems against international drug trafficking.
The call comes as Ghana’s authorities continue investigations into the latest cocaine shipment, while NACOC says suspects linked to the case had been under surveillance for an extended period.