Ten people, including four officers of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), have been arrested and are being held in connection with investigations into the trafficking of drugs through Ghana’s ports.
The arrests were disclosed at a meeting of security chiefs chaired by President John Dramani Mahama, where the President received a detailed briefing on the ongoing investigations.
The suspects are being held as security and law-enforcement agencies work to unravel the circumstances surrounding the recent trafficking of drugs out of Ghana’s ports.
The involvement of Customs officers has brought renewed attention to security and monitoring systems at the country’s ports, where Customs plays a key role in the inspection and clearance of goods.
At the meeting, President Mahama and the security chiefs reviewed the existing security structures and systems at the ports and Ghana’s borders, with a focus on identifying weaknesses that could be exploited by drug traffickers.
The review resulted in recommendations for additional measures to strengthen border controls and improve coordination among the relevant agencies.
President Mahama has subsequently directed the formation of an inter-agency task force to develop a detailed roadmap for preventing the trafficking of drugs through Ghana’s borders.
The task force is expected to submit its roadmap within two weeks, drawing on the recommendations from the security meeting.
The authorities are expected to continue investigations into the 10 suspects to establish the full extent of the alleged trafficking operation and determine the individual roles of those arrested.
The arrests, particularly the involvement of four Customs officers, are likely to intensify scrutiny of Ghana’s port security systems as the government moves to strengthen measures against drug trafficking.
Story By: Eric Boateng
