Beirut cocaine seizure exposes weaknesses in Ghana’s drug fight – Elvis Darko

The Managing Editor of the Newscenta newspaper, Elvis Darko, has questioned Ghana’s efforts to combat drug trafficking, arguing that the latest cocaine seizure in Lebanon exposes weaknesses in the country’s security systems.

He said the shipment’s escape from Accra International Airport showed that Ghana could not confidently claim to be on top of the fight against drug trafficking.

His comments follow the arrest of a Syrian national at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on Saturday, October 31, after arriving from Accra with suspected 46.7kg of cocaine concealed in two pieces of luggage.

Speaking on Accra-based Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily programme on Monday, November 2, Darko dismissed claims that Ghana had made significant progress in tackling drug trafficking.

“Let nobody deceive anybody that Ghana is on top of the drug fight. It’s a lie. That’s not true,” he said.

The journalist argued that the shipment’s passage through Accra International Airport raises questions about the effectiveness of security checks and the country’s ability to detect drug consignments before they leave its borders.

He also questioned the reliance on measures such as sniffer dogs and scanning equipment, arguing that the existence of such interventions did not necessarily mean the system was working effectively.

Darko further suggested that possible internal connivance could be a factor in drug shipments escaping detection.

“It’s also possible that there could be internal connivance because if your standards are not working, then that’s a problem,” he added.