BY GRACE ZIGAH
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has issued a travel advisory to its members, supporters and sympathisers using Ghana’s airports and seaports, warning them to remain vigilant against what it describes as possible attempts to implicate innocent party members in narcotics-related offences.
The advisory, signed by the party’s National Vice Chairman, Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, comes amid growing political controversy over a series of international cocaine seizures involving consignments originating from Ghana, including the latest interception of 2.6 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a shipment of coconuts in Spain.
The party alleges that elements affiliated with the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) could attempt to introduce prohibited substances, including cocaine and other illicit drugs, into the luggage of NPP members travelling outside the country as part of what it describes as a political attempt to equalise the government’s record on narcotics trafficking.
According to the NPP, growing public scrutiny of the Mahama administration’s handling of recent drug trafficking incidents could create circumstances in which innocent travellers might be deliberately targeted.
In the statement, the party cautioned its members against accepting unverified parcels or luggage from individuals, particularly items intended for delivery to third parties, warning that such arrangements could expose unsuspecting travellers to serious legal consequences.
The advisory states: “NPP members, supporters and sympathisers travelling through Ghana’s airports and seaports are strongly advised to exercise heightened vigilance and take extra precautions to safeguard themselves against any potential attempts to implicate innocent NPP travellers in narcotics-related offences just for political equalisation.”
The party has consequently outlined a series of precautionary measures for members intending to travel through the country’s international entry and exit points.
Among the recommendations is that travellers securely lock, protect and wrap their luggage to minimise the possibility of unauthorised interference.
Members have also been advised to maintain personal control over their belongings throughout their journeys and avoid handing their luggage to unfamiliar individuals.
The NPP further urged travellers to remain observant of unusual handling of their bags and, where possible, record videos showing their luggage and how their personal belongings are packed before travelling.
It also recommended that members inspect their suitcases and other travel bags before leaving home, again before handing them over at airport check-in counters and whenever the luggage is returned to their custody.
Travellers have additionally been advised to ensure that no unfamiliar items have been introduced into their belongings and to retain luggage tags, boarding documents and other relevant travel records.
The party wants members who encounter suspicious incidents to preserve any available evidence and immediately report the matter to airport security or the appropriate authorities.
The advisory concludes with a warning to members to remain alert, protect their belongings and travel responsibly.
The development comes against the background of growing political tension following several major international narcotics interceptions involving Ghana-linked shipments since 2025.
In June 2025, Dutch authorities intercepted approximately 4.5 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a timber consignment from Ghana at the Port of Amsterdam.
Belgian authorities subsequently seized 2,829 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed in cassava flour shipped from Tema in November 2025, followed by another 1,158 kilogrammes intercepted at the Port of Antwerp in December of the same year.
In September 2026, French authorities intercepted approximately 3.9 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a container declared as plastic waste at the Port of Dunkirk.
More recently, Lebanese authorities arrested a Syrian national arriving from Accra with approximately 46.7 kilogrammes of cocaine at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on October 31, 2026.
The latest incident occurred on November 11, when Spanish authorities seized 2.6 tonnes of cocaine hidden in false compartments of wooden crates carrying coconuts shipped from Ghana’s Tema Port. Two suspects were arrested in
Almería after investigators tracked the consignment from Valencia.These incidents have triggered renewed political exchanges, with the NPP accusing the Mahama administration of failing to adequately secure Ghana’s ports and airports.
At a November 4 press conference, the party’s Second National Vice Chairman, Nana Boakye, estimated that cocaine seized abroad alone between March 2025 and October 2026 had a street value of between US$1.3 billion and US$1.7 billion. He called for a bipartisan parliamentary investigation and demanded accountability from the leadership of key security institutions.
President Mahama had earlier convened an emergency security meeting on September 17 following the Dunkirk seizure and directed an inter-agency task force to develop measures to strengthen narcotics detection and border security.
However, the NPP has continued to question the effectiveness of the government’s response as additional seizures have been reported overseas.
