Cocaine busts linked to Ghana since March 2025 to 2026
Ghana has recorded at least 12 reported cocaine-related seizure incidents linked to the country since March 2025, based on available reports as of November 12, 2026.
An earlier investigation documented 11 cases between March 2025 and September 22, 2026. A subsequent seizure in Lebanon in October 2026 brought the reported number to at least 12. The incidents include seizures within Ghana and consignments originating from the country that were intercepted abroad.
International operations have continued to expose vulnerabilities along Ghana’s logistics and export corridors. In June 2025, Dutch authorities at the Port of Amsterdam seized 4,500 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in a timber shipment from Tema.
In June 2026, Australian authorities announced the interception of 320 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in charcoal shipments originating from Ghana. The consignment was estimated to be worth A$296 million.
French customs officers at the northern port of Dunkirk also discovered nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a container declared as plastic waste originating from Ghana and reportedly destined, in part, for Antwerp. French authorities valued the seizure at €225 million, equivalent to approximately US$261 million.
Overall, reported seizures covered by the September 2026 investigation amounted to approximately 15.8 tonnes of cocaine, with an estimated street value of between US$1.3 billion and US$1.7 billion.
Ghana was the fifth-largest country of origin for cocaine seized at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2025, according to Belgian customs figures. It was the only African country among the top five, a list otherwise dominated by Latin American producer and transit countries.
Belgian customs seized nearly 55 tonnes of cocaine at Antwerp in 2025, representing a 24 per cent increase from the 44 tonnes intercepted in 2024. Belgium’s Finance Minister, Jan Jambon, presented the figures on January 21, 2026.
Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil and Colombia completed the top five, according to a breakdown reported by VRT, Belgium’s public broadcaster. VRT described Ghana as “de vreemde eend in de bijt”, meaning the odd one out.
Newscenta examines some of the major cocaine seizures recorded in Ghana and international operations involving consignments linked to the country.
Major cocaine busts linked to Ghana
March 4, 2025: 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed under sand in a tipper truck
On March 4, 2025, Ghana’s National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) intercepted 3.3 tonnes (3,319.68 kilogrammes) of high-purity cocaine concealed beneath a load of sand in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast.
The consignment, which was being transported from Takoradi in the Western Region to Weija in Accra, was estimated to have a street value exceeding US$350 million.
Laboratory tests conducted by the Ghana Standards Authority and the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) subsequently confirmed the substance as raw cocaine.
Following the confirmation, a High Court in Accra ordered the destruction of the consignment. The drugs were destroyed on June 20, 2025.
Three suspects — truck driver Isaac Quaicoo, his assistant Kenneth Cobbinah and Mawuku Kudufia — were charged in connection with the seizure and faced trial, while other suspects were reported to be at large.
The seizure was described as the largest cocaine bust in Ghana’s history and highlighted concerns about the country’s use as a transit point for international narcotics trafficking.
March 18, 2025: 192kg of cocaine and 0.42kg of heroin seized
A 56-year-old Nigerian national, Uchechukwu Chima, was arrested in Ghana following an intelligence-led operation by NACOC operatives on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
A search of the suspect’s hideout uncovered substances suspected to be narcotic drugs.
Field tests subsequently returned positive results for cocaine and heroin.
The suspected narcotics comprised approximately 192 kilogrammes of cocaine and 0.42 kilogramme of heroin, with an estimated combined street value of US$2.1 million.
NACOC estimated the value at US$2,121,660.
April 23, 2025: 73 slabs of suspected cocaine intercepted at Accra International Airport
NACOC officials arrested four suspects after intercepting 73 slabs of substances suspected to be cocaine at a cargo facility at Accra International Airport.
The consignment, weighing 89.74 kilogrammes, was intercepted on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, while being packaged for shipment at Swissport in Accra.
According to NACOC officials, the substances had been concealed in cargo destined for the Netherlands.
The four suspects were taken into custody as investigations into the attempted export continued.
June 2025: 4.5 tonnes concealed in a timber shipment from Ghana seized in Amsterdam
Dutch customs authorities seized approximately 4,500 kilogrammes (4.5 tonnes) of cocaine concealed in a timber shipment originating from Ghana at the Port of Amsterdam in June 2025.
The seizure, described as the largest cocaine interception in the port’s history, involved narcotics hidden inside a wood consignment originating from Tema Port and destined for a German company suspected of being a front for international drug trafficking.
The drugs were valued at more than €112 million.
The container was selected for inspection following a risk assessment. Sniffer dogs and scanning equipment subsequently helped uncover the professionally concealed narcotics.
Investigators from the HARC task force, which comprises customs, the Fiscal Information and Investigation Service (FIOD) and the police, led investigations into the shipment and the company used to register the cargo.
A 42-year-old suspect was detained in June 2025, while a 69-year-old Amsterdam resident was arrested in November 2025. Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers, popularly known as ‘Bolle Jos’, was identified in reports as the alleged mastermind and remained at large.
November 28, 2025: 2,829kg concealed in cassava flour seized in Antwerp
Belgian authorities at the Port of Antwerp seized 2,829 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in a container of cassava flour shipped from Ghana’s Tema Port on November 28, 2025.
The seizure was among the major interceptions involving Ghanaian exports in Europe that year.
Together with another 1,158-kilogramme seizure in December 2025, the two consignments accounted for a significant quantity of the cocaine intercepted at Antwerp.
The seizures also contributed to Ghana’s position as the fifth-largest country of origin for cocaine intercepted at the Belgian port in 2025.
December 2025: Another 1,158kg seized in a Ghana-linked shipment in Antwerp
Belgian authorities intercepted another 1,158 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine in a shipment from Ghana at the Port of Antwerp in December 2025.
The seizure came a month after the interception of 2,829 kilogrammes concealed in a consignment of cassava flour from Tema.
Following intelligence operations coordinated with Belgian counterparts, NACOC arrested three individuals in Ghana in connection with the consignment.
The suspects were alleged to have played key roles in preparing, documenting and exporting the shipment, which was disguised as legitimate cargo.
Preliminary investigations suggested that the drugs originated from the Andes in South America before being concealed within legitimate Ghanaian exports.
February 2026: Cocaine concealed in gari packaging intercepted at Accra airport
NACOC intercepted a consignment of suspected cocaine concealed in packaged gari at Accra International Airport in February 2026.
The substance was reportedly hidden in a shipment of dried cassava flakes intended for export from Ghana.
Social media reports subsequently alleged that the cocaine had been concealed in Procus Ghana Limited’s Kivo gari mix.
However, NACOC Deputy Director-General Alexander Twum-Barimah dismissed reports suggesting that a senior manager of a food manufacturing company had been arrested in connection with the incident.
He clarified that the individuals arrested were not employees, management members or representatives of the brands whose products had allegedly been used to conceal the drugs.
He also stressed that the companies themselves were not responsible for the actions of the individuals involved.
According to him, NACOC had decided not to publicly identify the brands to avoid wrongly associating the companies with the alleged criminal activity.
August 5, 2026: 866 parcels of suspected cocaine concealed in gari sacks
The Tema Regional Police Command intercepted 866 parcels of substances suspected to be cocaine concealed in sacks of gari and allegedly destined for export.
The consignment had an estimated street value of US$6.928 million.
The operation, conducted on Wednesday, resulted in the arrest of three suspects in connection with the cocaine shipment. Police also seized four sacks of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp at Tsopoli during separate anti-narcotics operations.
Briefing journalists in Tema, Regional Police Commander Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Eric Asamoah Asiedu said the first operation followed intelligence that suspects were loading narcotic substances concealed in gari sacks into a 40-foot container at a warehouse within the Tema Harbour enclave.
A police team subsequently raided the facility and arrested Gilano Horwin, 31, a Dutch national; John Mensah Sabah, 41; and Alhaji Iddris Haruna, 52.
The suspects were allegedly supervising the loading of the container onto a DAF truck with registration number WR 1118-10.
September 2026: 192 wraps of cocaine seized in Wa
The Upper West Regional Police Command intercepted 192 compressed wraps of cocaine in Wa after the consignment was reportedly transported from Kumasi through the Bole enclave.
Police arrested Abdulai Isaac, a 26-year-old driver’s mate, at the ESP Bus Station in Wa on September 6, 2026. The suspected drugs were concealed in his backpack.
A second suspect, Iddrisu Kamaldeen, was subsequently arrested and identified as a customer of Isaac.
Field tests conducted on September 14, 2026, in collaboration with NACOC confirmed the substance as cocaine.
Both suspects were remanded by the Wa Magistrate Court and were scheduled to reappear on October 9, 2026.
September 10, 2026: France seizes nearly 3.9 tonnes concealed in plastic waste shipment
French customs authorities intercepted nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine valued at approximately €225 million (about US$261.45 million) concealed in a container carrying plastic waste from Ghana.
The seizure was made on Thursday, September 10, at the northern French port of Dunkirk, according to Reuters.
France’s organised crime prosecutor’s office said the cocaine was hidden inside the container, which was reportedly destined, in part, for Antwerp, Belgium.
Authorities said the interception followed a targeted operation by the judicial police aimed at disrupting a criminal network suspected of organising the shipment.
Following the seizure, the cocaine was destroyed, while prosecutors opened an investigation into the consignment and the network allegedly responsible for its transportation.
The operation was among the largest recent cocaine seizures in France and added to a growing list of major international interceptions involving cargo originating from Ghana.
It followed another significant seizure in Spain involving 2.6 tonnes of cocaine concealed in coconut crates shipped from Tema.
October 31, 2026: Syrian national arrested in Beirut with 40kg of suspected cocaine from Ghana
Security forces at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut arrested a Syrian national carrying approximately 40 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine originating from Ghana.
The suspect was arrested on Saturday, October 31, 2026, after arriving on a flight from Accra.
Security personnel discovered the suspected narcotics concealed in two pieces of luggage.
In a statement released on Sunday, November 1, NACOC said the interception followed a coordinated controlled-delivery operation involving cooperation between Ghanaian and Lebanese drug enforcement authorities.
“The arrest followed a coordinated controlled delivery operation involving close collaboration between Ghanaian and Lebanese drug law enforcement authorities,” the Commission stated.
The operation triggered further investigations into the suspected trafficking network and possible accomplices in Ghana and other jurisdictions.
November 11, 2026: 2.6 tonnes of cocaine from Ghana seized in Spain
Spanish authorities have arrested two men after intercepting approximately 2.6 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a shipment of coconuts transported from Ghana.
The Guardia Civil detained the suspects after two containers were moved in refrigerated lorries to a warehouse in Almeria.
Officers subsequently raided an industrial estate in La Juaida, arresting the alleged importer of the drugs and the individual responsible for supervising the unloading of the cocaine.
Although the operation took place in August 2026, Spanish authorities released details of the interception on November 11.
The two containers were loaded at the Port of Tema on August 2 and arrived at the Port of Valencia 20 days later.
Customs officials and the Guardia Civil selected the containers for inspection after they were flagged as high-risk consignments for illegal drug imports.
A search uncovered cocaine packages concealed in false bottoms fitted into wooden crates used to transport the coconuts.
The seizure further raised concerns about the use of legitimate Ghanaian export consignments to transport illicit drugs into international markets.
