EOCO has done nothing on cocaine trade despite its mandate – Kofi Tonto

A Political Aide to former Vice President and 2028 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Kofi Tonto, has criticised the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) over what he described as its silence on the cocaine trade in Ghana.

He questioned why EOCO, which has a mandate to investigate organised crime, has not publicly provided information on its efforts to tackle organised criminal activities linked to the narcotics trade.

“EOCO is the organisation mandated to investigate and monitor organised crimes. What is more organised crime than the narcotic business? Have you heard the CID boss, Yaw Donkor, make a single statement on cocaine issues and what has been done?” he said when speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV's Breakfast Daily programme on Tuesday, October 6.

The NPP communicator further criticised the government's handling of the ongoing national conversation on narcotics and alleged cocaine-related activities.

He argued that the mandate of EOCO goes beyond financial crimes and money laundering to include economic and organised crime, which he said covers the narcotics trade.

According to him, the involvement of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) in intelligence gathering on narcotics does not prevent EOCO from investigating organised and financial crimes connected to the trade.

“NACOC is in charge of intelligence gathering when it comes to narcotics. It doesn't stop EOCO from participating in financial and organised crime. So let nobody try and say that NACOC is doing something, so EOCO shouldn't," he said.

Mr Tonto further argued that EOCO should by now have provided Ghanaians with a report on organised crimes, particularly activities connected to the cocaine business.