'How did 46.7kg of cocaine escape Accra International Airport?' – Sammi Awuku questions gov't

The Member of Parliament for Akuapem North, Sammi Awuku, has questioned how 46.7 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine allegedly moved from Ghana to Lebanon without being intercepted at the Kotoka International Airport.

He said the latest seizure at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport raises serious concerns about Ghana's airport security systems and efforts to combat international drug trafficking.

His comments follow the arrest of a Syrian national in Lebanon on Saturday, October 31, after arriving from Accra with suspected cocaine concealed in two pieces of luggage.

In a social media statement on Monday, November 2, the New Patriotic Party lawmaker said the government has questions to answer over how such a quantity of drugs managed to leave the country.

"How did such a substantial quantity of cocaine leave Kotoka International Airport? What happened to the security checks and intelligence systems that should have picked up a shipment of this nature?" he queried.

Sammi Awuku also questioned the role played by Ghanaian security agencies in the operation, particularly whether they had prior intelligence about the shipment and what measures were taken before it departed the country.

His concerns follow an earlier statement by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), which said the arrest resulted from a coordinated controlled delivery operation involving Ghanaian and Lebanese drug enforcement authorities.

The Commission also disclosed that it is working to identify and arrest the suspect's accomplices in Ghana as part of efforts to dismantle the wider trafficking network.

While acknowledging NACOC's clarification, Sammi Awuku called for transparency on Ghana's contribution to the operation and the safeguards put in place to prevent the drugs from reaching their destination.