Ghana don become route to move drugs and money laundering?

BBC News

07-04-2025

Goment of Ghana don deny allegation say two flights wey enta di kontri for March bin carry drugs and laundered cash.
Dis na afta one opposition lawmaker Rev Ntim Fordjour tok for press conference on 1 April, say im get intelligence report say di two flights bin carry "illicit" substances and dem dey carry go Gran Canaria islands for Spain.
Di opposition lawmaker bin tell tori pipo say "two flights AirMed flight N823AM and Cavok Air Antonov An-12B don land for di kontri from Gran Canaria, one location wey pipo sabi for drug trafficking and money laundering."
"Intelligence wey we get don show say dis two flights bin dey carry suspected cocaine and cash," Rev Ntim Fordjour announce for dat press conference.
E tok say di opposition lawmakers dey demand "full disclosure of di tins wey dey inside di cargo of dis flights, to assure di citizens of dia airspace security."
For dat press conference, di opposition party for parliament also say dem dey worried "about di rising threat of piracy, drug trafficking and money laundering under di John Mahama goment."
President Mahama respond to di allegations
In response to di press conference, President John Mahama don order investigation into di allegation of drug trafficking and money laundering wey di opposition lawmaker raise.
For one Facebook post, president Mahama order say make investigative agencies collaborate wit di lawmaker and get di MP to provide relevant informate to torchlight di mata.
"Goment dey take all allegations seriously, na why I dey direct all relevant agencies to immediately and fully collaborate wit di lawmaker, so im go provide di informate and take di necessary action to expose any drug deals."
Di president add say "My goment go ensure zero tolerance policy for using Ghana as transit or final destination for illegal drugs."
Goment dismiss di allegations
Di Minister for Goment Communication Felix Ofosu Kwakye respond to di allegations for one broadcast.
Inside di video, di minister provide timeline of events wey show wen di two aircrafts enta Ghana and show wia dem stay for di kontri for five days.
According to oga Ofosu Kwakye, di air ambulance bin get technical wahala, and dia crew gat to rest - na why e don stop for di kontri.
Di oda aircraft fly in engineers and tyres into di kontri to fix di one wey stop for Ghana.
E also release photos wey show say dem dey fix di aircraft for di airport.
"Dis photos dey show engineers as dem dey fix damaged tyres for di landing gear of di air med aircraft for di airport - di reason why di flight bin stay for di kontri for five days."
Di minister also release one video wey show as security officials dey inspect di Cavok flight wey enta di kontri afta di air ambulance.
"Di cargo plan arrive on 12 March wit landing permit for wetin sabi pipo call technical stop. Dis na cargo plane wey dey enta di European Union market."
Di minister add say "dis plane na aircraft from Luanda - Angola wit oil drill equipment and lubricant oil wey dey for jerrycans for di EU market."
"Luanda no get certification to carry out di requirements to enta di EU market; na so di flight enta Ghana wey get di facility to scan dis items for di EU market. As di flight bin enta Ghana, im get engine blade fault and oil leakage."
Di minister explain say "anoda aircraft bin enta di kontri to evacuate di cargo from di faulty aircraft; as di plane wey get fault stay for di kontri for 13 days."
"Afta di aircraft bin dey inspected by aviation security, di narcotics control commission and di national security, dem neva find any illicit goods for dis aircraft."
Di minister don conclude say "di claims wia di opposition lawmaker bin make na false."
Di opposition party hit back at goment
Security officials already bin bust drugs for di last one month
For 8 March, di national intelligence bureau bin intercept one consignment of cocaine wey dey weight 3.3 tonnes wey dey travel from di western region to Accra.
Laboratory tests by di narcotics control commission and di standards authority bin confam say di packages na high purity cocaine between 50% to 70%.
Di street value of di cocaine wia dem tok say enta di kontri thru sea vessel, according to national security na $350m.
Police don remand di two suspects Isaac Quiacir and Kenneth Cobinnah for custody for dis mata.
In February, di national security bin raid one warehouse for sapeiman for Accra wia dem seize twelve 20-foot shipping containers wia contain boxes of counterfeit dollar and cedi notes and fake gold bars.
Di national security coordinator wey dey in charge of operations tok say dem dey pursue di kingpin for dis syndicate.
Apart from di counterfeit dollar and cedi notes, and di fake gold bars, dem also seize military uniform and boots.
In response to pressure from di opposition for goment to provide update about di cocaine bust and di oda raid for di warehouse, di national security operations director explain say dem still dey investigate di mata.
"We neva touch di tins we seize for dat raid, we dey keep dem as we dey investigate dis mata. We still dey pursue di pipo behind di warehouse wia we still dey track two oda containers wia intelligence bin show say di pipo carry dem comot di warehouse bifor di security pipo reach dia."
Oga Richard Jakpa tok say "we gat solid evidence wey dey connect di crime to one ogbonge network wey dey do plenty illegal activities for di kontri; no only a matter of time bifor we gbab dem."
Sabi pipo bin tok say make goment pursue every mata way dey relate to drugs and money laundering for di kontri.