On Wednesday, November 4, Julius Kwame Anthony, Press Secretary and Spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior, told JoyNews’ The Pulse that Ghana’s collaboration with international law‑enforcement agencies is focused on dismantling drug cartels and preventing future illicit activity.
Anthony said the ministry’s operations often extend beyond Ghana’s borders because the goal is to identify and bring to justice the wider networks that facilitate drug trafficking, rather than concentrating solely on arrests made within the country.
He explained that the Ministry works with foreign partners to ensure that all individuals involved can be identified and prosecuted. “The operations, the end of it is not in Ghana, so for a very long time, we do these operations in collaboration with our partners so that we can get the full end of it,” he said.
Anthony cited a 2022 operation in which Ghanaian authorities allowed suspects to travel through Kotoka International Airport so they could be arrested in the United Kingdom as part of a broader investigation. “Our authorities in 2022 allowed them to travel through Kotoka, so that they could be arrested in the UK for purposes of the scope of operation they were undertaking. So it is not a new thing,” he added.
The comments come after the arrest of a Syrian national at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, on Saturday, October 31, 2026, following his alleged arrival from Accra with about 40 kilograms of suspected cocaine concealed in two pieces of luggage. The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) confirmed the arrest, reigniting focus on Ghana’s cooperation with international agencies in tackling cross‑border drug trafficking.
Ghana’s Interior Ministry will continue to coordinate with global partners to disrupt drug trafficking networks and protect national security. Future operations are expected to target both local and international nodes of these cartels.
