BY DANIEL BAMPOE
The government of President John Dramani Mahama is facing renewed scrutiny over growing association with high-profile international drug trafficking cases after French authorities seized nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a shipment originating from Ghana.
The seizure, which took place at the northern French port of Dunkirk on Thursday, September 10, 2026, involved cocaine estimated by French authorities to have a street value of about €225 million, equivalent to approximately $261.45 million.
According to French prosecutors, the narcotics were hidden inside a container carrying plastic waste that had arrived from Ghana. Part of the shipment was reportedly destined for Antwerp in Belgium, raising concerns about the international network allegedly responsible for moving the drugs through multiple jurisdictions.
French judicial police had reportedly been tracking the criminal network suspected of being behind the consignment before the seizure was made. The cocaine has since been destroyed, while French prosecutors have opened an investigation into the case.
Authorities in France are considering charges including organised importation of narcotics and participation in a criminal association. Such offences, according to the report, could attract prison sentences of up to 10 years.
Minority Raises Fresh Alarm
The latest development has triggered a strong reaction from Ghana’s Minority in Parliament, with the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, warning that the repeated appearance of Ghana-linked consignments in major international drug seizures is damaging the country’s reputation.
Speaking in an interview on Channel One News on Friday, September 11, Rev. Fordjour described the situation as increasingly disturbing.
“It is becoming one too many. Our image is sinking,” he said.
The Assin South MP argued that the latest French seizure should not be treated as an isolated incident, insisting that the volume and value of international drug consignments linked to Ghana raise questions about the networks facilitating such operations.
He warned that repeated seizures could reinforce an international perception of Ghana as a major transit point for cocaine and other narcotics.
According to Rev. Fordjour, the focus should go beyond the seizure of drugs abroad to identifying, arresting and prosecuting the individuals and networks responsible for organising the shipments.
‘Where Are the High-Profile Prosecutions?’
One of the central concerns raised by the Minority lawmaker is what he described as the lack of high-profile arrests and prosecutions following major international drug seizures associated with Ghana.
He questioned why international authorities continue to intercept large consignments while the public rarely sees corresponding high-profile prosecutions of those allegedly behind them.
“What is worrying is that you have these high-profile cases, but where are the high-profile prosecutions?” he asked.
Rev. Fordjour said Ghana must be more aggressive in pursuing the people behind the international trafficking networks rather than concentrating primarily on the quantities of narcotics seized.
“The least of our worries are the small quantities that NACOC puts out there,” he said, arguing that attention must be directed towards the larger networks involved in international trafficking.
Ghana’s Recent Drug Trafficking Concerns
The French seizure comes against the backdrop of other major international drug cases in which Ghana has featured prominently.
Rev. Fordjour cited the interception by Australian authorities in April 2026 of a large methamphetamine consignment allegedly linked to Ghana. The case involved approximately 320 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in a shipment described in reports as charcoal.
The case subsequently triggered investigations in Ghana, with the Narcotics Control Commission announcing the arrest of a lead suspect in connection with the Australian seizure. The identity of the suspect was not disclosed in the information cited in the report.
The Minority lawmaker also referred to other cocaine-related cases in arguing that the latest French seizure forms part of what he considers a troubling pattern.
The Australian case and the French cocaine seizure are separate investigations in different jurisdictions, and the available report does not establish that they were connected to one another.
A €225 Million Warning
The scale of the Dunkirk seizure has nevertheless intensified questions about Ghana’s role in the international narcotics trade.
Nearly four tonnes of cocaine hidden inside a legitimate-looking commercial shipment represents a significant consignment, particularly given the sophisticated logistics required to conceal and transport such quantities across international borders.
French authorities said the container arrived from Ghana and that part of its intended destination was Antwerp. However, the report does not identify the Ghanaian exporter, importer, company, port operator or individual responsible for the shipment.
That distinction is significant because the seizure itself does not, without further evidence, establish wrongdoing by the Ghanaian authorities, the Ghanaian state or any particular Ghanaian company or individual.
The French investigation is expected to determine how the cocaine entered the shipment, who organised the consignment and the wider criminal network allegedly responsible for it.
Growing Pressure on Ghana’s Anti-Narcotics Efforts
The development is likely to place renewed attention on Ghana’s efforts to combat narcotics trafficking and its cooperation with international law-enforcement agencies.
French customs reported that authorities seized 108.81 tonnes of narcotics of all types across France in 2025, with an estimated value of €2.197 billion, highlighting the scale of the broader European fight against international drug trafficking.
