BY Daniel Bampoe
A group of Minority Members of Parliament has formally petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to recall the House from recess to examine a series of major narcotics seizures allegedly linked to consignments originating from Ghana, following the interception of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine in France.
The request was contained in a memorandum dated September 18, 2026, signed by Hon. Habib Iddrisu, First Deputy Minority Whip, on behalf of the MPs who endorsed the application.
The lawmakers say they have met the constitutional threshold required to trigger a recall of Parliament and are asking the Speaker to summon the House for an extraordinary sitting to consider what they describe as matters of urgent national importance.
The immediate trigger for the request is the seizure by French authorities of approximately 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine at the Port of Dunkirk on September 10, 2026.
According to reports from French authorities cited by Reuters, the cocaine was concealed in a container carrying plastic waste that had arrived from Ghana. The shipment was reportedly valued at about €225 million, or approximately US$261 million, and French prosecutors subsequently opened an investigation into the criminal network allegedly behind the consignment.
The Minority MPs argue that the latest seizure raises questions that go beyond the individual criminal investigation in France and touch directly on the security of Ghana’s ports, export-control systems, customs procedures and intelligence mechanisms.
In their memorandum, the MPs said the circumstances surrounding the container required parliamentary scrutiny, particularly because the shipment was reportedly processed and exported from Ghana before being intercepted by French authorities. They stressed, however, that any parliamentary investigation should establish the facts without prejudicing ongoing criminal investigations or the rights of persons who may be under investigation.
MPs Demand Answers On How Cocaine Left Ghana
The proposed parliamentary inquiry would seek information from several institutions responsible for Ghana’s internal security, ports, borders and narcotics enforcement.
Among the institutions identified in the memorandum are the Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of National Security, Hon. Habib Iddrisu, First Deputy Minority Whip, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Immigration Service and National Intelligence Bureau, alongside other relevant security and regulatory agencies.
The MPs want Parliament to establish the circumstances under which the container was processed and exported, the port or facility through which it left Ghana, and the inspection, scanning and clearance procedures applied to the consignment.
They also want information on the companies and institutions involved in processing and clearing the container, subject to restrictions necessary to protect active investigations. The lawmakers are further seeking an update on arrests and investigations, the level of cooperation between Ghanaian authorities and their French and other international counterparts, and measures being taken to identify the financiers and organisers behind major narcotics operations.
The memorandum additionally calls for scrutiny of security, scanning, intelligence and surveillance arrangements at Ghana’s ports, airports and other points of entry and exit, as well as measures intended to prevent Ghana from being used as a transit or operational base for international narcotics trafficking.
Pedu Junction Cocaine Seizure Forms Part Of Wider Concerns
The Minority’s request also places the Dunkirk seizure within a broader series of drug-related incidents it says have occurred since 2025.
One of the cases cited is the March 4, 2025 interception at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast, where the National Intelligence Bureau seized more than 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed beneath sand in a tipper truck travelling from the Western Region towards Accra.
The memorandum puts the estimated street value of that consignment at more than US$350 million. Independent reports at the time confirmed that the NIB had intercepted the shipment and that subsequent testing confirmed the substance as cocaine.
The case subsequently became one of the major narcotics prosecutions. The seized cocaine was later destroyed following a court order after samples had been taken for purposes of the trial.
The Minority memorandum also refers to a separate interception of approximately 120 slabs of cocaine, which it values at about US$150 million, along the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway.
Another incident cited is the August 5, 2026 seizure of 866 parcels of suspected cocaine by the Tema Regional Police Command. According to the memorandum, the parcels were concealed in sacks of gari at a warehouse within the Tema Harbour enclave and were estimated to be worth approximately US$6.9 million.
Australia Methamphetamine Case Also Cited
The MPs have also drawn attention to the seizure of approximately 320 kilogrammes of methamphetamine in Australia in June 2026, which Australian authorities linked to two shipping containers from Ghana.
The Australian Federal Police and Australian Border Force said in June that officers at Port Botany detected anomalies in containers described as carrying charcoal. An X-ray examination led to the discovery of a white crystalline substance, and three people were subsequently charged in Australia in connection with the alleged attempted importation.
Australian Border Force Website
Ghana’s NACOC subsequently announced that it had opened investigations into the case and was cooperating with domestic and international agencies to identify persons connected to the trafficking operation.
NACOC later announced the arrest in Ghana of a suspected lead shipper following an intelligence-led investigation into the shipment.
The Australian case therefore adds another international dimension to the questions being raised by the Minority about the use of Ghana’s commercial channels in transnational drug trafficking.
Concerns over unresolved cases
The memorandum also raises questions about other incidents which the MPs say require further investigation.
Among them is an aircraft which, according to the document, allegedly arrived at Kotoka International Airport from Gran Canaria around March 20, 2025, carrying narcotics and undeclared United States currency. The MPs describe that matter as unresolved.
The document also refers to the MV Sankofa, alleging that the vessel was sailing under a forged flag and was released by the Ghana Maritime Authority after payment of part of an applicable fine without a full inspection of its cargo, before subsequently being arrested in Senegal with narcotics on board.
These claims are presented in the memorandum as matters requiring scrutiny rather than established findings of a parliamentary investigation.
The MPs argue that, taken together, the cases warrant Parliament’s attention because of their potential implications for national security, Ghana’s international reputation, border management and the country’s efforts to combat organised crime.
Minority Raises Concerns Over Investigations
The memorandum further raises questions about the progress of investigations into the 2025 Pedu Junction seizure. It states that, more than a year after that interception, only the driver, a housemaid and a small number of peripheral suspects had been arraigned and remained on bail, while the MPs questioned whether the financiers and principal traffickers behind the shipment had been identified.
Those assertions are contained in the Minority’s memorandum and are part of the basis on which the MPs are seeking parliamentary oversight. They do not, by themselves, constitute findings of a parliamentary inquiry or a judicial determination of responsibility.
Why The MPs Want Parliament Recalled
The lawmakers say the latest developments cannot wait for Parliament’s ordinary resumption because international narcotics trafficking poses risks to national security, public safety and the integrity of the financial, maritime and border-security systems.
They maintain that the purpose of the proposed recall is not to interfere with criminal investigations or prejudge the guilt of any individual, but to allow Parliament to exercise its constitutional responsibilities of oversight, accountability and protection of the national interest.
The constitutional basis cited by the MPs is Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution, together with Order 53 of Parliament’s Standing Orders. The memorandum states that 15 per cent of MPs may request a meeting of Parliament and that the Speaker is required to summon Parliament within seven days after receiving such a request.
Accordingly, the MPs are asking Speaker Alban Bagbin to summon Parliament within the prescribed period to consider the cocaine seizure in France, the related narcotics incidents and their wider implications for the security and export-control systems.
48 MPs listed In memorandum
The memorandum contains an appendix listing MPs who endorsed the request. The list includes Frank Annoh-Dompreh, Isaac Yaw Opoku, Kingsley Nyarko, Michael Okyere Baafi, Ida Adjoa Asiedu, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, Habib Iddrisu, Emmanuel Tobbin, Alexander Agyare, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, Dominic Nitiwul, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Samuel Awuku, Charles Forson and several other lawmakers.
The appended signature pages also show additional endorsements from MPs including Hon. Ida Adjoa Asiedu for Ayensuano, Hon. Frank Annoh-Dompreh for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Hon. Samuel Awuku for Akuapim North, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah for Ofoase/Ayirebi, and others.
