Beirut cocaine seizure: More arrests expected in Ghana – Kumadoe reveals

Security expert Richard Kumadoe says more arrests are expected in Ghana following the seizure of 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine in Beirut, Lebanon, involving a suspect who travelled from Accra.

The Syrian national was arrested at Rafic Hariri International Airport on Saturday, October 31, 2026, after arriving from Ghana aboard Middle East Airlines flight MEA 576.

Lebanon's General Directorate of Customs said on Sunday, November 1, that officers discovered 40 packages of cocaine in his luggage during an operation conducted in collaboration with the General Security.

The packages were concealed using sophisticated methods and complex packaging and insulation materials designed to evade detection by scanning equipment. Electronic tracking devices were also found inside them.

The passenger, identified only by his initials, B.H., reportedly entered Lebanon through the Masnaa border crossing several weeks earlier before travelling to Accra and returning with the consignment.

Preliminary investigations suggested that he had been tasked with transporting and delivering the drugs as part of an organised smuggling operation.

Investigators are working to identify the person who was expected to receive the consignment at a designated location.

Speaking on the development, Mr Kumadoe said the operation was an intelligence-led controlled delivery exercise intended to identify and dismantle a wider drug trafficking network.

He explained that controlled delivery allows security agencies to monitor suspected traffickers and gather intelligence before making arrests to identify other individuals involved in the network.

“When I saw controlled delivery, and I saw intelligence-led, what I wanted to say is that I would not be surprised if NACOC would make a number of arrests in the coming days in Ghana,” he said.

He added that several individuals had been under surveillance following recent international drug trafficking operations, including the cocaine seizure in France.

“A number of people have been under surveillance and a number of people have been watched. And before December, a number of arrests will be made,” he predicted.

Mr Kumadoe commended the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) for its collaboration with other security agencies but urged it to sustain investigations, arrests and prosecutions, particularly ahead of the festive season.

He said stronger collaboration among security agencies would make Ghana a difficult environment for international drug traffickers.

“What is going to happen is that Ghana will become a hostile environment. That is, either when you come here, we get you arrested or we let you go, and we give a tip-off,” he said.

Meanwhile, NACOC has confirmed that the arrest resulted from a coordinated controlled delivery exercise involving Ghanaian and Lebanese drug law enforcement authorities.

The Commission said it was working to arrest the suspect's accomplices in Ghana as part of efforts to dismantle the wider transnational criminal network behind the shipment.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has also congratulated the General Security and Customs authorities for foiling the smuggling attempt.

He commended the coordination and intelligence-sharing between the two agencies, saying Lebanon's land, sea and air border crossings would not serve as conduits for drug smuggling, money laundering or other illegal activities.