NACOC explains new airport security checks amid drug trafficking concerns

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has explained that its newly introduced security checks at the Accra International Airport will focus on scanning passengers’ baggage before they enter the departure hall.

Alexander Twum-Barima, Deputy Director-General in charge of Enforcement, Control and Elimination at NACOC, said the process would involve electronic scanning machines and sniffer dogs rather than physical searches of passengers at the entrance.

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Speaking in an interview with TV3 on Thursday, October 8, 2026, he said passengers would be required to place their bags on scanning machines or allow trained dogs to inspect them before proceeding into the departure hall.

“What we do is a baggage one. So you put your bag on the electronic scanning machines,” he explained, adding that two machines were available to handle the checks.

He said the process could operate across three scanning lanes during busy periods, particularly between 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., when passenger traffic at the airport is high.

Twum-Barima explained that passengers selected for canine screening would be required to put down their bags, step back and allow the dogs to complete the inspection before collecting their luggage and proceeding to check-in.

He clarified that the baggage checks conducted before passengers enter the departure hall were separate from individual profiling, which could take place later in the airport.

He said officers might observe passengers as part of that separate security process.

Addressing concerns about possible delays, Twum-Barima insisted that security must take priority over the speed of passenger movement.

“It is better for someone to delay than to allow something negative to happen,” he said, urging the public to understand the need for the additional measures.

He added that NACOC was working to extend its presence to other entry points in line with a directive from the President.

The Commission also plans to deploy canine screening at the bridge point for arriving passengers before they proceed to immigration.

Twum-Barima said the changes formed part of broader efforts to strengthen security and address drug trafficking concerns at the country’s entry points.

ANAS/MA

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