'This is not rice, it is cocaine' – Kwasi Kwarteng on weight discrepancy amid Lebanon drug bust

NPP Communications Team member Kwasi Kwarteng has questioned the six-kilogram difference in the weight of cocaine reported by Ghanaian and Lebanese authorities following the seizure in Lebanon.

Kwarteng said Ghanaian authorities reported the consignment as weighing 40kg, while the Lebanese authorities put the figure at 46kg.

He argued that the difference was significant and should not be dismissed, particularly when the authorities were expected to have accurate information about a consignment they claimed was being monitored through a controlled delivery operation.

“Even when it comes to the weight of it, it is also in question because our authorities said it was 40kg. The Lebanese authorities are also saying it is 46kg. Which is which?” he asked on TheKeyPoints on TV3.

Kwarteng said the six-kilogram difference raised further questions about the accuracy of the information being provided by Ghanaian officials.

He also criticised the suggestion by a Narcotics Control Commission official that the difference was not significant.

“The NACOC official said the six-kilogram difference is not significant. Really? Six kilogrammes?” he questioned.

To illustrate his point, he compared the difference to a 5kg bag of rice, which he said was a substantial quantity in an ordinary household.

“This is not rice; this is cocaine, and so the six kilograms is a little above the 5kg of rice,” he said.

Kwarteng further questioned why authorities could treat the difference in the weight of the cocaine as insignificant when airport security systems routinely flagged relatively small items carried by passengers.

He said the conflicting figures undermined confidence in the information being provided about the consignment and required a clear explanation.