BY Grace Zigah
The fight against drug trafficking and port corruption took a dramatic turn on Wednesday March 3, 2026, when the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) announced the arrest of nine public officials in connection with the interception of a massive consignment of undeclared Tramadol at the Tema Port.
The arrests follow the seizure of a container packed with 146,932,000 tablets of Tramadol Hydrochloride, weighing 34,847.2 kilogrammes, concealed inside what had been declared as ordinary household goods.
Authorities say the scale of the concealment and the number of officials implicated point to a coordinated attempt to bypass the customs and regulatory safeguards.
How the Container Was Flagged
The operation began with intelligence gathered by the Preventive Wing of the Customs Division. Acting swiftly, officers detained container number TGHU6228715, which had been cleared under Bill of Entry 40226151187, on February 26, 2026.
The shipment, which originated from the United Arab Emirates, had been declared as containing water kettles, kitchen blenders, pressing irons, energy-saving bulbs, and polypropylene materials.
However, suspicions over inconsistencies in the documentation led to a transfer of the container to a Customs-controlled area in Tema for detailed examination.
On March 1, 2026, a joint re-examination conducted by Customs officials and the Central Revenue Monitoring Team uncovered 299 cartons of undeclared Tramadol tablets — in 250mg and 225mg strengths — hidden within the container alongside some of the declared items.
The discovery triggered immediate arrests. Those picked up and placed under Police inquiry bail are five Customs officers, one officer from the Narcotics Control Commission, one Port Security officer, one officer from the Energy Commission, and one other officer from the Ghana Standards Authority.
The importer and declarant connected to the shipment have also been handed over to the Police to assist with ongoing investigations.
Authorities have confirmed that the seized container remains under Customs control as investigations continue to determine the full scope of the operation and whether additional individuals were involved.
The volume of Tramadol involved has heightened national concern, given the drug’s growing abuse across West Africa. Public health advocates have repeatedly warned that high-dosage Tramadol imports pose serious social and medical risks if allowed to circulate unchecked.
