The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has destroyed illicit drugs valued at more than US$10 million following a major disposal exercise at Bundase, removing substantial quantities of prohibited substances from potential circulation.
The seized consignment comprised millions of synthetic opioid tablets and capsules, hundreds of thousands of bottles of codeine based cough mixture and hundreds of kilogrammes of cannabis confiscated during various anti narcotics operations.
Synthetic opioids constituted the largest portion of the destroyed substances, accounting for 4,730,100 capsules and tablets with an estimated market value of US$5.9 million.
Also destroyed were 338,000 bottles of codeine based cough mixture valued at approximately US$4.2 million, together with 564.39 kilogrammes of cannabis estimated to have a street value of US$112,878.
Before the substances were disposed of, the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) conducted verification tests to determine their composition and establish their identity. The laboratory examinations confirmed the presence of cannabis in the samples analysed.
The exercise was undertaken amid heightened public scrutiny of Ghana’s efforts to combat international narcotics trafficking, particularly following the recent interception of suspected cocaine in Lebanon involving a shipment that originated from Ghana.
Addressing the concerns, NACOC Director General, Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, reiterated the Commission’s determination to confront the illicit drug trade. He maintained that the Lebanon incident should not automatically be interpreted as a failure on the part of the institution.
Although acknowledging the considerable difficulties associated with detecting and dismantling drug trafficking networks, Major General Mantey stressed that such challenges would not weaken the Commission’s resolve.
He assured the public that NACOC would intensify its enforcement activities, strengthen its operational capacity and sustain efforts to identify and disrupt criminal networks involved in the narcotics trade.
The destruction exercise forms part of measures aimed at ensuring that confiscated drugs do not find their way back into circulation, where they could contribute to substance abuse, threaten public health and undermine national security.
