The Deputy Director General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Alexander Twum-Barimah has warned that students involved in selling illicit drugs will face prosecution as the Commission intensifies efforts to disrupt the growing trade in educational institutions.
Mr Twum-Barimah indicated that the emergence of students as distributors has introduced a new dimension to the drug control challenge, with substances increasingly being mixed into everyday products and sold to fellow students.
The NACOC Director explained that the Commission’s mandate requires it to suppress the circulation of narcotic substances and reduce their availability to the lowest possible level. He added that the institution would continue pursuing its enforcement responsibilities despite the changing methods used by those involved in the trade.
According to him, the sale of drugs has evolved from secretive transactions in isolated locations to more accessible forms of distribution within student communities. Different products are among the substances through which drugs could be infused and sold.
The development, he noted, has made the challenge more complex because students are increasingly becoming distributors within their own institutions. Fellow students could therefore become the source through which others gained access to prohibited substances.
“Now, even students can take it to the university, mix it with sobolo, with ice cream, with egg and pepper, name them, and they are selling it to other students.”
Alexander Twum-Barimah
Against this backdrop, the Commission has placed prosecution at the centre of its response to those who distribute the substances. Mr Twum-Barimah explained that persons arrested for participating in the sale of such products were taken through the legal process.
He also issued a strong warning to parents whose children become involved in the drug trade, urging them to intervene early and discourage such conduct before law enforcement action becomes necessary. The NACOC official noted that parental intervention could play a significant role in preventing young people from becoming involved in the distribution of illicit substances.
The warning follows recent arrests involving students, some of whom were taken before the courts. These individuals were remanded before later being granted bail as the prosecutorial process continues.
Mr Twum Barimah therefore appealed to parents to take responsibility for guiding their children and to recognise the seriousness of involvement in the illegal drug trade. He cautioned that attempts to secure special treatment after an arrest would not remove the legal consequences of the conduct.
NACOC Targets Drug Sources Through Intelligence Led Operations
The Narcotics Control Commission also outlined an intelligence led strategy focused on locating suppliers and distributors who operate away from public attention. Mr Twum-Barimah disclosed that the Commission relies on intelligence gathering to identify individuals involved in the storage, preparation and distribution of illicit substances in locations commonly associated with underground drug activity.
The approach is necessary because arrests had to be supported by sufficient evidence capable of sustaining prosecution before the courts. Intelligence operations therefore provide the foundation for identifying suspects and gathering the information required for legal action.
Turning to the treatment of drug users, the NACOC official drew a distinction between persons struggling with substance use and those who profit from supplying the substances. He explained that users are often assisted through counselling and related support because drug dependence could require a health focused response.
The enforcement priority, however, falls on the networks that supply and distribute the substances. Individuals who store drugs, mix them into drinks or other products and sell them through pubs and other locations form part of the chain targeted by the Commission.
“Most of our normal operations are not actually directed at the users. For the users, we assist them because we take it to be a medical condition.”
Alexander Twum-Barimah
This approach places the source of the supply chain at the centre of enforcement activity. Mr Twum-Barimah explained that investigators pursue those who bring the substances into communities, hide them in storage locations and use intermediaries to distribute them.
The strategy also covers emerging methods of selling drugs through infused alcoholic drinks and other products. Such practices, he noted, require law enforcement agencies to adapt their intelligence gathering and investigative methods to identify the people behind the distribution networks.
Minors who become involved in drug related activity would receive a different response, according to the NACOC official. He explained that the Commission would work with the appropriate authorities to ensure that underage persons receive counselling and other relevant interventions.
This approach places age and individual circumstances within the enforcement process. The Commission’s long-term strategy therefore combines prosecution for suppliers with support for users and specialised interventions for minors.
Mr Twum-Barimah indicated that the fight requires accurate intelligence and careful investigations because enforcement agencies needed to establish the evidence surrounding each case. The process, he noted, ultimately leads to prosecution where the evidence supports legal action.
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