Musah Attah, alias 'Kromo', had been out of a job guarding Ghana's President and Vice President for just three months before he was arrested in connection with a €225 million cocaine trafficking case in France. According to Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, Chief Executive Officer of the Crime Check Foundation, Musah once served on the security detail at Jubilee House, accompanying the President and Vice President on official travel.
Musah resigned from his post at the Presidency barely three months before his arrest. He had repeatedly complained that his GH¢6,000 monthly salary was inadequate and had pushed for a raise while still employed at the Presidency. He was allegedly told his pay would be reviewed once the economy improved, but grew frustrated and eventually quit.
The claims linking Musah to presidential security duty first surfaced after New Tafo MP Vincent Ekow Assafuah alleged that one of the suspects had been part of the security team protecting President John Dramani Mahama and the Vice President. However, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has disputed this, with Deputy Director-General Alexander Twum-Barimah stating that background checks on all suspects in custody had not turned up any presidential escort among them.
Musah Attah is one of four Ghanaians charged over the alleged export of nearly four tonnes of cocaine from Ghana to France. The others are Desmond Koranteng Curiel, also known as Paul Kweku Yeboah or 'Biggs'; Kweku Otchere; and Jessica Hartog. NACOC arrested Curiel and Hartog, who is Curiel's fiancée and works as a beautician, at Ashaley Botwe on 12 September 2026.
Reporting on the arrests indicated that searches turned up three firearms, ammunition, four luxury vehicles, passports and undisclosed sums of cash. Musah was arrested two days later, on 14 September 2026, at NACOC headquarters. All four were arraigned before the High Court in Accra on 16 September 2026, charged with conspiracy to export narcotic drugs without a licence and exportation of narcotic drugs.
The case has fed into broader questions about Ghana's exposure to drug trafficking networks. Chale News has previously reported on allegations that a botched MP arrest was used to cover up the cocaine scandal, and on questions raised over an NPP MP allegedly sitting on intelligence about a cocaine hub.
NACOC has not confirmed the specific details of Musah's employment history at Jubilee House, and the Presidency has not issued a public statement addressing the Crime Check Foundation's claims. The next scheduled court appearance for all four accused is 13 October 2026.
Key points
- Musah Attah, a suspect in a €225 million cocaine trafficking case, had worked on the security detail at Jubilee House before resigning over a pay dispute.
- The suspect's monthly salary was GH¢6,000, which he claimed was inadequate.
- The case has raised questions about Ghana's exposure to drug trafficking networks and the vetting procedures for personnel assigned to presidential security duty.
