Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, John Ntim Fordjour
The Minority Caucus in Parliament has raised an alarm over two suspicious flights that recently landed at Kotoka International Airport, suspecting they may have been involved in drug trafficking operations.
The Member of Parliament for Assin South and the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, John Ntim Fordjour, speaking at a press conference, demanded that National Security immediately disclose details about the cargo transported by these flights, which may have involved drugs and cash.
The Minority is also urging the government and National Security to provide an update on the seizure of gold bars and cash made in February.
Rev Fordjour revealed that on February 9, National Security operatives confiscated gold bars and an unspecified amount of cash from a warehouse in Sapeiman near Amasaman in Accra.
However, nearly two months later, no official update has been provided on the investigations.
He explained that nearly two months after a raid on 12 containers of gold and cash at Sapeiman in Accra, the National Security has failed to brief the public on the status of investigations to ascertain the culprits and the actual quantity of gold and specific amount of money retrieved in the operation.
Additionally, the caucus has demanded accountability for cargo suspected to be cocaine and cash transported into the country by two suspicious flights in March 2025, an Air Med flight NH23AM, which is typically an air ambulance designed for transporting patients, landed in Accra from Gran Canaria, an island in Spain known for its associations with drug trafficking.
However, John Fordjour revealed that no patients were aboard the flight, despite the aircraft’s stated purpose.
“Contrary to what we would expect from an air ambulance, no patient was transported on this flight to or from Accra,” Fordjour stated.
He further emphasized that the plane, instead of carrying patients, was likely carrying “suspicious cargo” suspected to be cocaine and cash, in various denominations of U.S. dollars.
This revelation comes alongside details of another plane, a private jet, which was similarly involved in the suspicious transportation.
He said a Carbock Air private jet, Antonov An-12B, landed at Kotoka International Airport on March 12, 2025, from Gran Canaria, remaining in Ghana for 13 days before departing on March 25.
Intriguingly, both flights departed Gran Canaria on the same day, raising concerns about potential coordination.
“While it is intriguing that the two suspicious flights would depart to the same location on the same day, it is even more troubling to consider the content of the cargo they were carrying,” John Fordjour added.
He called on National Security to “make full disclosure of the content of the cargo carried by these two aircraft into the country, as well as the cargo carried out of the country to Gran Canaria.”
John Fordjour’s call for transparency echoes mounting concerns over drug trafficking in Ghana, particularly following the interception of a massive cocaine haul earlier in March by an NDC former parliamentary aspirant in the Western region.
The Minority also attributed the pirate attack on a Ghanaian-registered fishing vessel on March 27, 2025, to the NDC Members of Parliament’s opposition to the planned procurement of two offshore patrol vessels by the Akufo-Addo government.
“You will recall the diligent attempt of the erstwhile government to procure two offshore vessels for the Ghana Navy in 2024. This plan, in its final stages, was fiercely opposed by the NDC in parliament, who called for the process to be terminated.
“Indeed, subsequently, the process of purchase was thus aborted. As pirates are aware of Ghana Navy’s lack of offshore patrol vessels, the vulnerabilities of the security of our waters are likely to be exploited by these pirates,” he said.
Cocaine Busted
On March 4, 2025, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) seized 3.3 tonnes of cocaine in a significant bust at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast, located in the Central Region.
The cocaine, valued at over $350 million, was discovered hidden under a load of sand in a truck traveling from Takoradi to Accra.
The NIB’s operation, based on intelligence gathered over time, led to the arrest of two suspects, Isaac Quaicoe and Kenneth Cobbinah, who were charged in connection with the drugs.
“The drugs were hidden beneath a load of sand, transported via a truck from Takoradi,” stated an NIB officer involved in the operation.
“Through extensive intelligence and field surveillance, we were able to intercept the vehicle before it reached Accra.”
Further testing confirmed that the narcotics were high-purity raw cocaine, weighing a staggering 3,319.68 kilograms.
In the aftermath of the bust, the Minority Caucus has raised questions about the effectiveness of National Security’s response to the growing threat of drug trafficking.
“We have witnessed a significant increase in the scale and sophistication of drug smuggling operations,” John Fordjour remarked, linking the cocaine seizure in Cape Coast to the suspicious flights.
Despite these developments, National Security has remained relatively silent on the details of the alleged drug shipments arriving by air.
The Minority is calling for a full and transparent investigation into the matter, demanding that all information about the cargo be disclosed to the public as part of the government’s commitment to combatting drug trafficking.
-BY DANIEL BAMPOE
