$200m Cocaine Shipment Probe: Mahama gets recommendations to plug security gaps

President John Dramani Mahama has received recommendations on measures to close security loopholes identified in investigations into a cocaine shipment worth more than $200 million seized in France.

Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Anthony Sarpong, disclosed this when he appeared before Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on October 15, 2026.

According to him, the recommendations formed part of a preliminary report presented to the President following investigations into the shipment, which has raised concerns about Ghana’s ability to detect illicit goods passing through its ports.

“The report was presented to the President in terms of what the state of the investigation is, and what the recommendations are to be able to close all the gaps substantially,” Sarpong said.

He explained that Mahama had constituted a team involving various security agencies to investigate the incident and identify weaknesses in the country’s systems for monitoring goods leaving its ports.

10 suspects busted in US$261 million cocaine shipment

Sarpong said Mahama initially gave the team two weeks to conduct the investigations, with the preliminary report presented to him last week.

He expressed confidence that the findings and recommendations would inform policy decisions and investments to strengthen security at Ghana’s entry points.

The measures, he added, would help identify and address loopholes that could allow illicit consignments to leave the country undetected.

The investigation follows the seizure in France of a cocaine consignment valued at more than $200 million, prompting efforts to examine weaknesses in Ghana’s port monitoring and security systems.

MRA/VPO

Digital Payments Are Growing, But Regulation Must Catch Up – WAIFEM