Fraud and Security Consultant Richard Kumadoe has called for tighter security at Ghana’s airports and land borders, warning that weaknesses at the country’s entry and exit points could be exploited by criminal networks involved in narcotics trafficking and other organised crimes.
Speaking in an interview with Radio Gold, Mr Kumadoe identified drug trafficking, human trafficking, financial crime and arms smuggling as major criminal threats requiring stronger intelligence and security coordination.
He said government must strengthen existing border controls to make it more difficult for criminal networks to move illicit drugs into, through or out of Ghana.
Mr Kumadoe also called for greater scrutiny of government business contracts, arguing that transactions linked to the state should be thoroughly examined where necessary to identify possible channels or activities that could facilitate organised crime.
He warned that allowing criminal networks to penetrate state institutions or exploit weaknesses in national security could have wider consequences for governance.
“If the state is weakened and the state is destroyed, there will be no democracy,” he stated.
Mr Kumadoe said the fight against narcotics must therefore extend beyond individual arrests to strengthening institutions, tightening border surveillance and disrupting the networks that enable illicit drugs to move across borders.
He also commended the Ghana Police Service for recent arrests of persons suspected of involvement in drug trafficking, describing enforcement action as an important component of the broader campaign against narcotics.
He maintained that sustained intelligence gathering, effective border controls and stronger institutional safeguards would be critical to preventing Ghana from becoming an attractive transit point for international drug trafficking networks.
Story by Godfred Kotey Ashie
