President John Dramani Mahama has directed the formation of an inter-agency task force to develop measures to prevent the trafficking of narcotics through Ghana’s borders.
The directive followed an urgent meeting between the President and security chiefs on Thursday, September 17, to assess recent drug trafficking cases and the security arrangements at the country’s ports.
According to the Presidency, the task force is expected to produce a detailed roadmap outlining measures to address vulnerabilities in Ghana’s border and port security systems within two weeks.
The meeting also considered ongoing investigations into recent narcotics trafficking cases and examined the structures and security systems currently in place to detect and prevent the movement of illegal drugs through the country.
President Mahama was informed that 10 individuals are currently being held in connection with the cases, including four officers of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The meeting subsequently identified additional actions to strengthen coordination among the relevant security and law-enforcement agencies in tackling drug trafficking.
The inter-agency task force will now translate the recommendations from the meeting into a comprehensive roadmap for implementation, with the two-week deadline set by the President.
The development comes amid heightened attention to narcotics trafficking cases involving Ghana and follows the government’s earlier directives for security agencies to investigate allegations of drug trafficking.
