The intercepted cocaine
Four persons arrested in connection with the 3.9-tonne cocaine bust, valued at €225 million, have been remanded into custody by a High Court in Accra.
The four, Kwaku Okyere, businessman; Desmond Koranteng, cattle farmer; Musah Arthur, also businessman; and Jessica, who is the wife Okyere, were hauled before the court yesterday in relation to the latest cocaine bust which many say present Ghana in a bad light.
The trial judge, Justice Charity Akosua Asem, did not hide her feelings when ruling on an application for bail made by their lawyers, describing the development as a disgrace and an insult to the nation.
The arrest of the four is linked to the activities of Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers, popularly known as “Bolle Jos” in Ghana.
A statement issued by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), following the arrest of three of the accused, said the suspects allegedly represented and facilitated the activities of Leijdekkers, who is wanted in connection with international drug trafficking.
The arrests followed the reported seizure by French customs of a cocaine shipment allegedly linked to a wider drug-trafficking network.
They have been charged with conspiracy to commit crime and transport narcotics without lawful authority.
They are also facing a charge of exportation of narcotic drugs; 3.9 tonnes of cocaine from Ghana to France.
The arrest of the suspects has led to the retrieval of guns, luxurious cars, passports and various sums of monies upon a search conducted by the arresting officers.
Not Guilty
All four pleaded not guilty to the charges and their lawyers, Paul Asibi Abariga and Selasi Woanyo prayed the court to grant them bail pending trial.
Defence lawyers argued that the facts presented by prosecution do not support the charges, arguing that the accused have no links in any manner to narcotics.
They further described the arrest of the four as a panic arrest in a bid to satisfy the general public.
The bail application was opposed by the prosecution, led by Ernest Appiah, an Assistant State Attorney.
Justice Asem, in her ruling on the oral application for bail, said there is suspicion based on which investigation is currently ongoing.
She added that it is a disgrace for the country and any attempt to grant bail will be an insult to the country.
She, therefore, remanded the accused into custody for three weeks to reappear on October 13, 2026.
Arrest
NACOC, in a statement following the arrest of three of the suspects on September 14, said the arrests formed part of its efforts to disrupt international drug-trafficking organisations operating in or through the country.
It reaffirmed its resolve to ensure that Ghana did not become a safe haven, transit point or operational base for international drug-trafficking organisations.
NACOC said it would continue working with domestic and international law-enforcement partners to disrupt the people, finances and infrastructure sustaining the illicit drug trade.
The Commission, however, stressed that the rights and legal protections of all persons under investigation would be safeguarded.
Minority Demands Probe
The Minority in Parliament has called for an independent parliamentary inquiry into a series of major narcotics seizures linked to Ghana, accusing the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of allowing the country to become a transit hub for international drug trafficking.
The Minority said the seizures, recorded locally and abroad over the past 18 months, involved narcotics worth more than US$1 billion and raised serious questions about the effectiveness of the country’s security and law enforcement agencies.
In a statement signed by the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, the Minority said the government must account for what it described as Ghana’s increasing involvement in international narcotics trafficking.
It cited the seizure of more than 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed beneath sand in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast on March 4, 2025.
According to the statement, the consignment, which was travelling from Takoradi to Accra, had an estimated street value of more than US$350 million.
The Minority also referred to the interception of about 120 slabs of cocaine, estimated at US$150 million, along the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway during the same period.
It further cited the seizure by the Tema Regional Police Command on August 5, 2026 of 866 parcels of suspected cocaine concealed in sacks of gari at a warehouse within the Tema Harbour enclave. The consignment was valued at about US$6.9 million.
The Minority said two other incidents remained unresolved, including the alleged landing at the then Kotoka International Airport around March 20, 2025 of an aircraft suspected of carrying narcotics and undeclared United States currency from Gran Canaria.
It also raised questions about the July 2025 MV Sankofa incident, in which a vessel allegedly sailing under a forged flag and facing a fine of nearly GH¢12 million was released by the Ghana Maritime Authority after payment of only a fraction of the amount.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak