Illicit tobacco trade threatens public health – NACOC Director General

The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Maxwell Obuba Mantey, has raised alarm over the growing threat posed by the illicit tobacco trade, describing it as a major risk to public health and a significant drain on government revenue.

According to him, the illegal trade in tobacco products continues to deprive governments of billions in tax revenues each year, while also undermining legitimate businesses and fuelling organised crime networks.

He cautioned that consumers are increasingly exposed to dangerous counterfeit and unregulated tobacco products as a result of the illicit trade.

Brigadier General Mantey made these remarks on Monday at the opening of a Training of Trainers workshop on illicit tobacco trade held at the Bureau of National Intelligence Training School in Tesano, Accra.

He emphasised that the initiative forms part of broader national efforts to safeguard public health, protect state revenue, and dismantle criminal networks operating within the illicit tobacco space.

Highlighting the importance of capacity building, the NACOC Director-General explained that the training is designed to equip officers stationed at the country’s entry and exit points with the necessary knowledge, skills, and tools to identify, investigate, and disrupt illicit tobacco operations using modern intelligence-led approaches.

He noted that the programme would “improve inter-agency coordination and intelligence sharing among participating institutions,” thereby strengthening collaboration in tackling cross-border criminal activities.

“The workshop is expected to produce a pool of trained facilitators who will, in turn, transfer the knowledge acquired to other officers within their respective institutions, expanding the reach and impact of the initiative nationwide,” he added.

Participants in the training include personnel from NACOC, the Bureau of National Intelligence, National Security, the Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Police Service, Ghana Ports and Harbour Security, and the Food and Drugs Authority.