The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has stated that background checks on the suspects arrested in connection with the Dunkirk cocaine seizure found no evidence linking any of them to the security details of President John Dramani Mahama or Vice‑President Professor Naana Jane Opoku‑Agyemang.
Deputy Director‑General Alexander Twum‑Barimah clarified the matter on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 26, after claims that Musah Attah, alias “Kromo”, had worked with presidential security.
“When we arrest people, we do checks, and there was nothing that showed that any of them worked with the security details of the President or Vice President,” Twum‑Barimah said. He added that NACOC’s information on Attah identified him as a farmer, not a member of the presidential security detail.
Twum‑Barimah also addressed photographs circulating on social media that purportedly show Attah in the company of Mahama and Opoku‑Agyemang. He explained that presidential protection arrangements operate in separate groups and that a person cannot be with both the President and the Vice‑President simultaneously.
The controversy followed claims by MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah, who shared photos he said showed Attah in close proximity to the two officials. NACOC rejected the characterization, stating its checks have not established such a connection.
Musah Attah is one of four Ghanaians charged over the alleged exportation of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine from Ghana to France. The suspects were arraigned before the Accra High Court on September 16 and remanded to reappear on October 13. They face charges of conspiracy to export narcotic drugs without a licence and the exportation of narcotic drugs, and have pleaded not guilty.
Twum‑Barimah urged the opposition New Patriotic Party to avoid politicising the seizure, noting that Ghana has recorded several narcotics interceptions over the years. He added that investigations into the Dunkirk shipment are continuing, including efforts to establish how the consignment left Ghana and to identify others who may have been involved.
Ghana’s systems for detecting and preventing the movement of illicit drugs through its ports are under growing scrutiny following the latest high‑profile seizure.
