Lincoln Nii Okaija
THE NARCOTICS Control Commission (NACOC) has arrested the prime suspect in the seizure of 738 compressed parcels suspected to be cannabis at the Swissport Cargo Terminal of the Kotoka International Airport on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
The arrest of the suspect, identified as Lincoln Nii Okaija, followed days of intense surveillance and manhunt by NACOC operatives who had been chasing him for a while.
He was arrested at the Aflao border while he attempted to use Togo as transit to his final destination, France.
Okaija allegedly played a key role in the failed attempt to smuggle the narcotic substance which resulted in the arrest of four individuals.
NACOC, in a statement, indicated it appreciates all who assisted and continue to support in its operations against illicit drug trafficking.
Four Others
On May 7, 2025, a Circuit Court in Accra granted a bail of GH¢13 million each to four persons arrested in connection with the 73 slabs.
The court, presided over by Mrs. Sedinam Awo Kwadam, ordered the accused persons; Gariba Soli, Josiah Biney, Emmanuel Mintah and Kwabena Ampofo Anti to provide four sureties each as well as deposit their passports at the court’s registry as part of the bail terms.
Again, one of the sureties must provide justification with a landed property valued at GH¢1 million, while two others must be civil servants earning not less than GH¢5,000 per month.
The four were arrested on April 23, 2025 at the terminal, allegedly attempting to export 73 slabs of substances suspected to be cocaine without a licence.
They have been charged with four offences; one count of attempted exportation of narcotics, conspiracy to export narcotic drugs without licence, conspiracy to possess narcotic drugs, and possession of narcotic drugs without licence.
They have all pleaded not guilty to the charges levelled against them by the state. They have all been placed on Stop List at all exit points, including air, sea, and road.
On Wednesday, April 23, 2025, during a routine physical examination of outbound cargoes destined for Brussels, the Narcotics Control Commission officers stationed at the Export Section of the Swissport Cargo Terminal allegedly intercepted three packages made of wooden boxes.
The intercepted boxes were en route to the Netherlands. Court documents indicate that an initial examination of the packages revealed assorted wooden artifacts with no incriminating items.
However, when they were emptied and scanned, the analysed images revealed the presence of false compartment in each box.
The documents note that those compartments were deconstructed and found to contain a total of 73 compressed slabs of suspected narcotics.
During the preliminary investigation, all suspects denied knowledge of the concealed narcotics but suspect Soli, acting as the shipper of the intercepted packages, stated that he had been engaged by one Patrick to export these artifacts to the Netherlands on his behalf.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak