On Saturday, November 7, 2026, Bright Simons, Honorary Vice President of IMANI Africa, publicly disputed the Narcotics Control Commission’s (NACOC) claim that a 46.7kg consignment of suspected cocaine moved from Accra to Beirut was part of a controlled delivery operation.
Simons said his team had reviewed several interviews given by Lebanese officials to Arabic‑language media and found inconsistencies with NACOC’s explanation. He noted that the accounts provided by Lebanese authorities did not indicate any prior cooperation with Ghanaian security agencies to facilitate the shipment.
He clarified that his concern was not whether Lebanese officials engaged Ghana after the suspect’s arrest, but whether there had been pre‑arranged coordination that would allow the consignment to pass through before the arrest. “The accounts that they give does not suggest that they were cooperating with Ghana,” Simons said. “That may be that we are mistaken.”
Simons acknowledged that Lebanese authorities admitted to engaging Ghanaian Customs and security officials after the apprehension, but argued that post‑arrest engagement does not prove a jointly authorised controlled delivery before the suspect was arrested.
He further questioned the absence of Lebanon’s Central Narcotics Bureau – the equivalent of NACOC and part of the country’s Internal Security Forces – from the operation. According to Simons, the bureau is legally required to supervise controlled delivery operations in Lebanon, so its non‑involvement raises significant concerns.
“If you are doing controlled delivery, they cannot be absent in such an arrangement because in their law, they are supposed to be the supervisory authority,” he said. He added that the lack of mention of the bureau suggested the interception might have been handled as a customs operation instead.
Simons’ remarks add a new layer of scrutiny to the international drug bust, prompting questions about the legality and coordination of the operation between Ghana and Lebanon.
