The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has called for a broader investigation into the networks, financiers and public officials allegedly facilitating the movement of illicit drugs, saying the country’s response must go beyond the prosecution of couriers.
The call follows the seizure by French customs authorities of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine at the port of Dunkirk on September 10, 2026. The cocaine, estimated to have a street value of €225 million, was concealed in a container of plastic waste that had arrived from Ghana and was reportedly partly destined for Antwerp, Belgium.
In a press statement issued on Monday, September 21, the Bishops said the scale of the alleged shipment raised serious questions about how such a consignment could have passed through legitimate commercial channels.
“We respect the judicial process, and the accused are presumed innocent until proved guilty. Nevertheless, the scale of the alleged shipment is deeply disturbing,” the Conference said.
Four Ghanaians have been arraigned before the High Court in Accra in connection with the case. They are Desmond Koranteng Curiel, also known as “Paul Kweku Yeboah” or “Biggs”; Musah Attah, alias “Kromo”; Kweku Otchere; and Jessica Hartog. They face charges of conspiracy to export narcotic drugs without a licence and exportation of narcotic drugs and were remanded to reappear on October 13, 2026. A fifth accused, Dutch national Jos Leijdekkers, alias “Bolle Jos”, is reported to be at large.
The Bishops said investigations should establish not only the identities of persons directly involved in the alleged shipment but also the wider network behind the trade.
“Investigations must follow the money and identify the networks, businesses and financial arrangements that sustain the trade, and every public official reasonably suspected of complicity should be investigated regardless of rank,” the statement said.
The Conference also expressed concern about what it described as a pattern in which individuals allegedly used as couriers could face prosecution while those financing or coordinating trafficking networks remain unidentified.
“A pattern in which couriers are prosecuted while the networks that finance them escape scrutiny is the failure any credible national response must overcome,” the Bishops said.
The statement cited several other narcotics-related incidents dating from March 2025, including cocaine allegedly concealed under sand in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast, suspected cocaine found in sacks of gari at Tema Harbour and methamphetamine concealed in a charcoal shipment intercepted by Australian customs.
According to figures cited by the Bishops from the Narcotics Control Commission, intelligence-led operations during the period under review resulted in 217 arrests and 165 prosecutions, alongside the interception of more than 8.5 tonnes of assorted narcotic drugs and 45.4 million tramadol tablets.
The Conference said the investigation should also cover possible institutional complicity, noting reports of public officers being arrested over narcotics-related incidents.
“The fight must include anyone who abuses public trust to facilitate the movement of illicit substances,” it said.
The Bishops urged stronger cooperation with INTERPOL and Europol in tracing transnational networks and locating wanted persons, while calling for investigations to proceed irrespective of the rank or status of suspects.
NACOC has separately said suspects arrested in connection with the Dunkirk shipment had been under surveillance for between one and two years, with investigations continuing into the wider network.
The Bishops said Ghana’s response must combine enforcement with prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, arguing that the drug problem has implications for institutions, families and young people.
“The drug menace is no longer a distant threat. It is a serious national concern and a profound moral crisis that cannot be treated merely as a routine criminal matter,” the Conference said.
