NACOC explains why it allowed suspected Syrian cocaine trafficker leave Ghana

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) says it deliberately allowed a Syrian national suspected of trafficking about 40 kilogrammes of cocaine from Ghana to travel to Lebanon as part of an operation to track down a wider international drug network.

The Commission’s Head of Public Relations, Francis Amoah, said the decision was based on an investigative technique known as controlled delivery, which allows law enforcement agencies to monitor suspected drug consignments across borders and identify other people involved in trafficking operations.

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His explanation follows the arrest of the Syrian national at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, on Saturday, October 31, after he arrived from Accra with the suspected cocaine concealed in two pieces of luggage.

Amoah said NACOC had monitored the suspect throughout his stay in Ghana and was aware of his movements, including his arrival, hotel accommodation and eventual departure.

He acknowledged concerns about how the suspect was able to travel through Kotoka International Airport but maintained that the operation was aimed at dismantling the wider trafficking network rather than securing the arrest of only one individual.

“It is a transnational organised crime, and one country does not have all the requisite logistics to be able to fight and fight it well,” he said.

Explaining the strategy, Amoah said controlled delivery involves allowing a suspected trafficker and the consignment to proceed to another jurisdiction, where authorities can intercept them and potentially arrest other members of the network.

“One thing that we do as far as our work is concerned is what we call the controlled delivery. Controlled delivery is where you know about the person, what the person is carrying, but you want the person to go to the other side because when the person gets to the other side, the person, not him alone but the network associated with him, will be arrested,” he explained.

He said the approach forms part of efforts by law enforcement agencies to strengthen international cooperation in tackling organised drug trafficking.

NA/BAI

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