See Ghana’s position among top countries linked to cocaine seized at Antwerp port

Belgium’s Finance Minister, Jan Jambon, has disclosed that Ghana was the fifth-largest country of origin for cocaine seized at the Port of Antwerp in 2025, according to a myjoyonline.com report.

Figures released by Belgian customs show that nearly 55 tonnes of cocaine were intercepted at the Belgian port last year, representing a 24 per cent increase from the 44 tonnes seized in 2024.

Ghana was the only African country among the five leading countries of origin recorded in the customs data. Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil and Colombia occupied the other four positions.

However, Belgian authorities’ classification of Ghana as a “country of origin” does not mean the cocaine was produced in the country.

According to the customs definition, the term refers to the country from which the container was loaded and shipped. The cocaine itself is understood to have originated from South America and was concealed in legitimate exports from Ghana.

The development has drawn attention to Ghana’s growing role in international cocaine trafficking routes following a series of major seizures involving consignments shipped from the Tema Port.

In November 2025, Belgian authorities intercepted 2,829 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine concealed in a shipment of cassava flour from Tema.

A month later, another 1,158 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine was discovered in a consignment from Ghana.

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The two seizures amounted to almost four tonnes, representing approximately seven per cent of the total cocaine seized at Antwerp during the year.

Ghana’s appearance among the leading countries in the Belgian data is a new development. A 2022 analysis of Europe’s cocaine market by the European Union’s drugs agency and Europol identified several West African countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Benin, Sierra Leone and The Gambia, in connection with major cocaine seizures, but Ghana was not listed.

The Belgian seizures form part of a broader pattern involving Ghana-linked narcotics cases recorded in other countries.

In June 2025, Dutch customs seized 4.5 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a timber consignment from Tema at the Port of Amsterdam. The seizure was described as the largest in the port’s history.

In June 2026, Australian authorities also announced the seizure of 320 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in charcoal shipped from Ghana, with an estimated value of A$296 million.

More recently, French customs at Dunkirk intercepted nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine hidden in a container carrying plastic waste from Ghana. Some of the consignment was reportedly destined for Antwerp.

French authorities valued the seizure at approximately €225 million.

AM

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