Nine public officials have been arrested following the interception of a large consignment of undeclared Tramadol at the Tema Port.
The arrests, announced in a press release dated March 3, 2026, involve five Customs officers, one officer from the Narcotics Control Commission, one Port Security officer, one Energy Commission officer, and one officer from the Standards Authority.
All nine have been placed on Police inquiry bail as investigations continue.
The seizure was carried out by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) after intelligence gathered by its Preventive Unit led to the detention of a suspicious container at the Tema Port.
The container, identified as TGHU6228715 and cleared under Bill of Entry 40226151187, was initially detained on February 26, 2026, and moved to a Customs-controlled area in Tema for further checks.
According to the GRA, the container had originated from the United Arab Emirates and was declared as carrying household items such as water kettles, kitchen blenders, pressing irons, energy-saving bulbs, and polypropylene material.
However, a joint re-examination conducted on March 1, 2026, by Customs officers and the Central Revenue Monitoring Team uncovered major discrepancies.
In addition to some of the declared goods, officers discovered 299 cartons containing 146,932,000 tablets of undeclared Tramadol Hydrochloride in 250mg and 225mg strengths.
The total weight of the seized drugs is estimated at 34,847.2 kilogrammes.
The importer and the declarant have been handed over to the Police to assist with investigations. The seized consignment remains under Customs control pending further action.
The Ghana Revenue Authority reaffirmed its commitment to protecting national security, safeguarding public health, and maintaining the integrity of Ghana’s revenue and border management systems.
