Nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine valued at about $261 million have been seized from a container of plastic waste that arrived at France’s northern port of Dunkirk from Ghana. According to France’s Organised Crime Prosecutor’s Office, the cocaine was concealed inside the container, which was reportedly destined partly for Antwerp in Belgium.
French authorities have launched investigations into the shipment and the criminal network suspected of organising it following a targeted operation by the judicial police. The latest interception has renewed questions about the scale of illicit drug trafficking linked to Ghana and its implications for the country’s international reputation.
Speaking in an interview, the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Honourable John Ntim Fordjour described the development as “deeply troubling.”. The Assin South MP argued that the cumulative value of drug consignments intercepted in and out of Ghana under the current administration points to a serious national problem.
“It’s very unfortunate that within less than two years under this NDC Mahama government, we have recorded over a billion dollars worth of drugs trafficked in and out of the country. Our image in the international community is fast sinking.”
Honourable Reverend John Ntim Fordjour
Honourable further argued that the quantity represents only the consignments detected, pointing to international intelligence assessments which, according to him, suggest a significant proportion of trafficking attempts evade detection. He added that Ghana risks being perceived as a “cocaine coast” and a country that tolerates or condones drug trafficking.
Furthermore, Honourable Fordjour urged authorities to attach greater importance to large international seizures instead of focusing predominantly on smaller quantities intercepted locally. He argued that kilogramme-level seizures publicised by enforcement agencies should not overshadow consignments worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The latest French seizure also follows a major methamphetamine interception in Australia in April 2025 involving a container reportedly originating from Ghana. Honourable Fordjour referenced that case as another indication that Ghana’s name continues to surface in major international drug investigations.
For the Assin South MP, the repeated foreign interceptions create a serious challenge for Ghana’s standing as a sovereign state. He invoked the reputations associated with previous administrations, arguing that the scale of recent international drug seizures represents an unprecedented development.
Nonetheless, Honourable Fordjour stressed that the issue should transcend partisan politics and focus on protecting Ghana’s borders and restoring confidence in the country’s security architecture. He therefore called for stronger action against the networks facilitating transnational drug trafficking.
Fordjour Demands Answers Over Major Drug Shipments From Ghana
The pattern has prompted the Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, Honourable John Ntim Fordjour, to question the effectiveness of investigations into the networks behind such shipments.
Referencing cases he raised in April 2025, the Assin South MP recalled cocaine seizures estimated at $150 million in Takoradi and another $250 million on the Cape Coast-Accra highway. He argued that the cases have not produced prosecutions targeting the alleged masterminds, with only a driver and a mate of the truck prosecuted in the case he referenced.
Moreover, Honourable Fordjour linked the earlier cocaine seizures to flights that allegedly arrived at and departed from Kotoka International Airport. He contended that his calls for investigations into those developments were not met with the level of official scrutiny he expected.
The Ranking Member also revisited the Australian methamphetamine case, where authorities reportedly traced a $280 million consignment to a container from Ghana. He highlighted claims previously presented to Parliament that government officials could have been involved and questioned why, according to him, no high-profile government official has been arrested or prosecuted over the matter.
“Where are the high-profile prosecutions?” Honourable Fordjour asked, arguing that the central issue is identifying those financing, facilitating and coordinating large-scale trafficking. He maintained that arrests of low-level actors alone would not adequately dismantle the networks behind major shipments.
Importantly, the Assin South MP rejected suggestions that the problem should be treated as an overly complex criminal operation. He argued that the same ports and national security structures have existed under previous administrations, yet the frequency and scale of the recent international interceptions warrant closer examination.
He consequently placed responsibility across institutions charged with protecting Ghana’s borders and ports, including the Narcotics Control Commission, Immigration Service, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and security agencies. According to Honourable Fordjour, the government appoints the officials leading these institutions and therefore has the authority to demand accountability.
“We demand answers,” the Ranking Member emphasised. He further challenged authorities to investigate the networks behind the latest French seizure and provide clarity on how such a substantial consignment was able to leave Ghana.
READ ALSO: Ghana Reaffirms Transition from Raw Exports to Domestic Value Addition
