Four officers of the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) Customs Division are among 10 individuals being held as investigations continue into recent narcotics trafficking cases linked to Ghana.
The development comes amid heightened scrutiny of Ghana’s role in the movement of illicit drugs following the seizure in France of a cocaine shipment valued at about €225 million.
President John Dramani Mahama was briefed on the investigations on Thursday, September 17, after meeting the country’s security chiefs to review recent narcotics trafficking cases involving Ghana’s ports.
According to the Presidency in a statement, the 10 individuals currently in custody include four officers of the Customs Division of the GRA.
“The President was informed that ten (10) individuals, including four officers of the Customs Division of the GRA are being held while investigations continue,” the statement said.
The identities of the four Customs officers, as well as the specific allegations being investigated against them, have not been disclosed.
The development follows the seizure by French authorities of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine, valued at approximately €225 million, from a container that had arrived at the port of Dunkirk from Ghana. The cocaine was concealed in a shipment of plastic waste.
Four Ghanaians have subsequently been charged and remanded in connection with the shipment, placing renewed focus on the systems used to inspect and clear cargo leaving Ghana.
The detention of the four Customs officers forms part of the ongoing investigations into recent narcotics cases. Their being held for questioning does not, by itself, establish wrongdoing.
Authorities are continuing investigations to determine how the recent consignments were able to move through Ghana’s port and border-control systems and to establish the circumstances surrounding the individuals currently in custody.
