NACOC, NIB Destroy Over $350M Worth Of Cocaine, Others

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), in a joint exercise with the National Investigation Bureau (NIB) has destroyed various kinds of confiscated illicit drugs.

Though the persons involved are facing the law, the court gave an order for the illicit drugs to be destroyed after samples had been taken as evidence to prosecute the various matters.

The exercise, which took place on Friday, June 20, 2025 at the Bundase Military Training Camp, saw NACOC burning seized cocaine, cannabis, codeine and MDMA (ecstasy).

The exercise was also to commemorate this year’s World Drug Day, slated for Thursday, June 26, 2025.

This year’s World Drug Day calls for investment in prevention, including justice, education, health care and alternative livelihoods.

DESTROYED

NACOC and NIB last Friday destroyed 113.348 kg of Cocaine, 10.45 kg of Heroin, 1934.273 kg of Cannabis, 2.00 kg of Methamphetamine and 0.644 kg of MDMA (Ecstasy).

The rest are 1.099 kg of Ketamine and 15.1 kg of Cathinone and cartons of Codeine, Diclofenac and Hyergra, all with a weight of 11,500 kg.

In total, NACOC had 13,513.91 kg of Narcotics, whilst the NIB had 3,313 kg of seized Cocaine. The overall weight of Narcotics set ablaze and supervised to burn to ashes was 16,826.91 kg.

The journalists who covered the destruction were informed that the cocaine seized by the NIB in the Central Region, with a street value of US$350 million, was part of the narcotics destroyed.

Officials told the media that the destruction followed a directive from the Accra High Court.

TEST

In the presence of journalists and other security agencies, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, officials from the Ghana Standards Authority conducted an on-site test before the consignments were set ablaze.

The tests were to confirm the authenticity of the illicit drugs seized, in particular to demonstrate the “transparency” of the exercise to the public.

The representatives of the Ghana Standards Authority used cobalt thiocyanate reagent and hydrochloric acid to test the cocaine, which sample turned blue, thus confirming the authenticity. Tests were conducted on samples of the cannabis which turned out positive.

TRANSPARENCY

The Director-General of the NACOC, Brigadier General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, indicated that the destruction in the presence of the media was to demonstrate the transparency in combating the menace.

“And we invited you here so that the whole country and perhaps the whole world would know what we’ve been doing. And it is also to show our commitment to the rule of law,” he stated.

WARNING

He cautioned those involved in the trade that their activity was unfair to the country, stating that the security would not renege on its mandate to allow them to trade illicit drugs.

According to him, NACOC, from July, would conduct special swoops on illicit drug users to apprehend those involved.

“And my simple message to those who are involved in this illicit drug business is that it is not fair to the country. We will not stand idly by and allow them to bring these illicit drugs to destroy our future leaders,” he remarked.

The D-G called for collaboration to be able to expose the perpetrators in a book, to name and shame.

“From next month we will be conducting special operations and we will go after them. I will hope that you will cooperate with us and assist us as much as possible, so that we can bring them to public view for them to be named and shamed. This cannot continue in our lovely country. We need peace, security and a healthy state,” he asserted.

ARREST

The deputy D-G said “What you saw today, there was an arrest that was made by the NIB and the NACOC in the Central Region of Ghana. We arrested $350m worth of cocaine. That cocaine that was arrested was those sacks that you saw packed at the corner there, which we are burning now. The court has given us the fiat to be able to do so.

Thursday is a grand celebration for World Drugs Day, to be graced by the Vice President at the Accra International Conference Centre.

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