Mahama Orders Two-Week Roadmap as 10 Held Over Ghana Drug Trafficking Cases

President John Dramani Mahama has ordered the formation of an inter-agency task force to develop a detailed roadmap to strengthen Ghana’s efforts to prevent narcotic drugs from being trafficked through the country’s borders.

The directive followed an urgent meeting between the President and security chiefs on Thursday, September 17, over recent drug-trafficking cases involving Ghana’s ports.

The meeting reviewed ongoing investigations into the movement of narcotics through the ports, as well as the security structures and systems currently in place at Ghana’s borders.

According to the Presidency, President Mahama was informed that 10 people are currently being held in connection with the investigations.

Four of those in custody are officers of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The identities of the 10 individuals and the specific allegations against them were not disclosed.

Following the briefing, the meeting considered additional measures to strengthen Ghana’s systems for detecting and preventing narcotics trafficking.

President Mahama subsequently directed the establishment of an inter-agency task force to translate the recommendations from the meeting into a detailed roadmap.

The task force has been given two weeks to complete and submit the roadmap.

The move is intended to strengthen coordination among the institutions responsible for Ghana’s ports, borders, customs, intelligence and law-enforcement systems.

The meeting comes amid heightened attention to drug-trafficking cases linked to Ghana, including the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine by French customs authorities from a container that had departed Ghana.

The Presidency has not indicated that the 10 people being held have been found guilty of any offence.

Their detention forms part of ongoing investigations into the recent narcotic-trafficking cases.

The urgent meeting was attended by security chiefs who briefed the President on the investigations and the existing security arrangements at Ghana’s ports and borders.

The Presidency said the discussions identified the need for additional measures to address vulnerabilities within the current system.

The statement on the outcome of the meeting was issued by Felix Kwakye Ofosu, MP, Spokesperson to the President and Minister for Government Communications.

The Presidency Communications statement was dated Thursday, September 17, 2026, and titled “Outcome of Urgent Meeting on Recent Narcotic Trafficking Cases.”