Sack NACOC, GACL bosses over drug trafficking failures – Henry Nana Boakye

The National Second Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, has called for the dismissal of the leadership of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) and the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL).

The party official made these demands over what he describes as their failure to prevent the movement of cocaine through Ghana.

He also questioned the effectiveness of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and National Security, accusing the institutions responsible for safeguarding the country’s borders and entry points of allowing Ghana to become a transit hub for international drug cartels.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the NPP, Mr Boakye demanded the removal of the heads of the affected institutions, insisting that the repeated cocaine trafficking incidents demonstrated failures in the country’s security and interdiction systems.

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

This comes in the wake of the recent arrest of a Syrian national at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, after he allegedly attempted to transport approximately 40 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine from Ghana.

He argued that the institutions responsible for securing Ghana’s ports and airports had failed to prevent drug trafficking activities, creating an environment favourable to international criminal networks.

“The Ghana Port and Harbours Authority and National Security are in charge with keeping cocaine out of our ports, our airports and our country. On their watch, Ghana has become the transit hub for international cartels. Ghana has become a haven. Ghana has become a very favourable zone for drug cartels. For drug barons,” he said.

Mr Boakye further criticised President John Dramani Mahama for what he described as a failure to take decisive action against officials responsible for the situation.

“And the president is not doing anything about it. They have failed. They have failed repeatedly. And they must be sacked,” he added.

His comments come amid growing concerns over a series of international cocaine seizures involving consignments linked to Ghana, including another interception of nearly 3.9 tonnes of suspected cocaine at the Port of Dunkirk in France in September this year.