‘It was a free port under Akufo-Addo; the drugs were coming in’ – Larry Dogbey

Managing Editor of The Herald newspaper, Larry Dogbey, has accused the Akufo-Addo administration of weakening drug enforcement at Ghana’s ports, alleging that the withdrawal of key security measures allowed narcotics to enter the country undetected.

He said the withdrawal of Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) officials from the ports, coupled with non-functional scanners and the absence of sniffer dogs, created gaps that drug traffickers exploited.

Mr Dogbey made the claims while speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily programme on Tuesday, November 3, following the arrest of a Syrian national in Lebanon with a large consignment of suspected cocaine reportedly transported from Ghana.

The suspect was arrested at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on October 31, after he arrived from Accra with suspected cocaine concealed in two pieces of luggage.

“You pulled out officials of NACOC. You disorganised the arrangement over there. The scanners were not working. Dogs had died. The port, it was a free port. Drugs were coming,” he said.

The journalist argued that the recent drug seizures involving Ghana should not be viewed in isolation, insisting that the country had experienced significant drug trafficking activities under the previous administration.

He said he had earlier raised concerns about drug shipments passing through Ghana, adding that subsequent seizures in Europe had reinforced his concerns.

He described the latest seizure in Lebanon as particularly worrying because the Middle East is not a regular destination for such consignments.

“This is just an outlier. Let me put it that way. Because very often we don't hear Lebanon or the Middle East as a destination for some of these drugs. It's not a regular destination. So for this guy to come in, pick whatever it is, and get into Lebanon, we should be worried,” he added.