The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) of Ghana has clarified that none of the suspects arrested in connection with the recent Dunkirk cocaine seizure have been linked to the security details of President John Dramani Mahama or Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang. Deputy Director-General of NACOC, Alexander Twum-Barimah, made the statement on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, September 26. He emphasized that thorough background checks were conducted on the suspects.
The clarification was made in response to claims that one of the suspects, Musah Attah, alias "Kromo", had worked with presidential security. NACOC's information on Musah Attah identifies him as a farmer, not a member of the presidential security detail. Mr. Twum-Barimah stressed that there was no evidence to prove that any of the suspects were connected to the presidency.
Photographs circulating on social media purportedly show Musah Attah in the company of President Mahama and Vice President Opoku-Agyemang. However, Mr. Twum-Barimah explained that presidential protection arrangements operate in a way that prevents a single individual from being with both the President and Vice President at the same time. He also pointed out that the security details of the President and Vice President operate in separate sections or groups.
The controversy surrounding the suspects' alleged connections to presidential security began with claims by Old Tafo Member of Parliament Vincent Ekow Assafuah. He shared photographs that he claimed showed Attah in close proximity to the two officials and questioned how a person allegedly connected to presidential security could be linked to a major international cocaine case. NACOC has rejected this characterization, stating that its checks on the suspects in custody have not established such a connection.
Musah Attah is one of four Ghanaians facing charges over the alleged exportation of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine from Ghana to France. French customs authorities seized the suspected cocaine at the Port of Dunkirk on September 10, after finding it concealed in a container carrying plastic waste that had arrived from Ghana. The four accused are Desmond Koranteng Curiel, alias "Biggs"; Musah Attah, alias "Kromo"; Kweku Okyere; and Jessica Hartog.
The accused were arraigned before the Accra High Court on September 16 and remanded to reappear on October 13. They face charges relating to conspiracy to export narcotic drugs without a licence and the exportation of narcotic drugs. A fifth suspect, Dutch national Jos Leijdekkers, alias "Bolle Jos", is said to be at large. NACOC has urged the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to avoid politicizing the cocaine seizure.
NACOC's Deputy Director-General, Alexander Twum-Barimah, has also called for an end to the politicization of the issue, citing Ghana's history of narcotics interceptions. Investigations into the Dunkirk shipment are continuing, including efforts to establish how the consignment left Ghana and to identify others who may have been involved.
Key points
- NACOC found no evidence linking any of the suspects in the Dunkirk cocaine seizure to the security details of President John Dramani Mahama or Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang.
- The suspects, including Musah Attah, alias "Kromo", were identified as having different occupations, not as members of presidential security.
- The case involves the alleged exportation of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine from Ghana to France, with four Ghanaians and one Dutch national implicated.
