Publish taskforce roadmap, name suspects in Beirut cocaine case – NPP to government

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has demanded a bipartisan parliamentary inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the seizure of 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon.

The party has also called on President John Dramani Mahama to publish the roadmap of the taskforce established to investigate drug trafficking activities, issue a joint statement with Lebanese authorities clarifying the circumstances of the arrest and ensure the prosecution of any public officials found to have facilitated the movement of the suspected drugs through the Accra International Airport.

National Second Vice Chairman of the NPP, Henry Nana Boakye, outlined the demands at a press conference organised by the party.

He said the government must constitute a bipartisan parliamentary inquiry to establish the facts surrounding the operation and address concerns over Ghana’s role in the international drug trafficking network.

The NPP is also demanding that the government publish the taskforce roadmap, which he said was due on October 1, within seven days.

Mr Boakye further called for a joint statement involving Ghanaian and Lebanese authorities, including Lebanon’s Internal Security Force, to clarify whether the arrest in Beirut resulted from a Ghanaian-led controlled delivery operation.

He said the statement must also establish when Ghanaian authorities were first informed about the operation.

“We believe this is a lie, anyway,” he said, expressing doubts about the account given by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) that the arrest resulted from coordinated operations between Ghanaian and Lebanese drug enforcement agencies.

NACOC has maintained that the arrest of the Syrian national on October 31, 2026, followed a controlled delivery exercise involving cooperation between the two countries. The Commission said the operation was intended to identify and apprehend individuals at both ends of the drug supply chain.

NPP demands names of suspects, prosecution of officials

Mr Boakye also demanded that NACOC publish the names, nationalities and charges of all persons it says have been arrested in Ghana in connection with the Beirut cocaine seizure.

He insisted that the suspects should be brought before the courts without delay.

The demand follows reports that three foreign nationals, comprising Syrian, Tunisian and Lebanese citizens, were arrested in Ghana on November 3 as part of investigations into the consignment.

The suspects, two men and a woman, are being investigated over their alleged involvement in the movement of the cocaine shipment and the wider trafficking network. Their names and specific charges had not been publicly disclosed in the reports available at the time of writing. 3News+1

The NPP is further demanding the arrest and prosecution of any officials found to have accepted bribes to facilitate the passage of the Syrian suspect and his two suitcases through the Accra International Airport.

It also wants the government to publish the names of such officials and the institutions they work for.

NPP calls for removal of NACOC, GACL leadership

Beyond the parliamentary inquiry and publication of information surrounding the Beirut operation, Mr Boakye called for the removal of the leadership of NACOC and the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL).

He argued that the institutions responsible for protecting the country’s airports and ports had failed in their mandate to prevent Ghana from becoming a transit point for international drug trafficking networks.

“The head of the narcotics Control Commission (Nacoc), the leadership there, they must go. Ghana Airport Company Limited, they must go, he leadership there, from the MD to the head of security, they must all leave,” he said.

He also questioned the effectiveness of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and National Security in securing the country’s entry points against narcotics trafficking.

He accused the institutions of failing repeatedly to prevent international drug cartels from using Ghana as a transit hub.

“On their watch, Ghana has become the transit hub for international cartels. Ghana has become a haven. Ghana has become a very favorable zone for drug cartels. For drug barons. And the president is not doing anything about it. They have failed. They have failed repeatedly. And they must be sacked,” he said.

The NPP’s demands follow renewed public scrutiny of Ghana’s anti-narcotics enforcement systems after the arrest in Lebanon of a Syrian national who arrived from Accra with two suitcases containing 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine.

The controversy has centred particularly on NACOC’s explanation that the suspect was allowed to travel to Lebanon as part of a controlled delivery operation intended to help investigators identify other members of the trafficking network.

Mr Boakye said the government must provide clear answers about the operation and take action against officials found culpable.