Major-General Mantey Urges Global Cooperation After French Customs Intercept €225m Cocaine Shipment from Ghana

French customs officials have intercepted approximately 3.9 metric tons of cocaine, valued at an estimated ‐225 million (GH₵ 2.99 billion), hidden within a shipment originating from Ghana. The massive haul, discovered at the port of Dunkirk, was concealed in a container marked as plastic waste and was destined for Antwerp, Belgium. This seizure underscores the escalating challenge of transnational drug trafficking between West Africa and Europe, prompting French authorities to launch a criminal investigation into the organized network behind the shipment. Those involved could face up to 10 years in prison for organized importation of narcotics.

Against the backdrop of this significant interdiction, Major-General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, Director-General of Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), has issued an urgent call for practical, cross-border cooperation. Addressing the 33rd Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (HONLEA Africa) in Vienna, Mantey emphasized that isolated national efforts are insufficient against evolving criminal syndicates. He advocated for a "neighbor-to-neighbor" strategy, urging African nations to synchronize investigations and share intelligence to close the jurisdictional gaps currently exploited by traffickers to move synthetic drugs and cocaine.

Highlighting Ghana's proactive domestic stance, the NACOC delegation reported that recent operations have led to 217 arrests and the interception of more than 8.5 tonnes of illicit substances. Beyond enforcement, the Commission is prioritizing demand reduction through educational initiatives, having trained 800 coordinators to reach nearly half a million high school students across the country. Ghana has also formalized counter-narcotics agreements with regional neighbors including Nigeria, Zambia, and Burkina Faso to foster a unified front against the illicit drug trade.

The recent Dunkirk seizure is reflective of a wider trend; in 2025 alone, French authorities intercepted a total of 108.81 tonnes of various narcotics. Security analysts and Ghanaian officials alike are calling for enhanced forensic capabilities and advanced scanning technology at West African ports to detect increasingly sophisticated smuggling methods. As the Vienna meeting concluded, Mantey reiterated that the commitment to dismantle organized crime must move beyond rhetoric into actionable strategies, involving continuous collaboration with bodies such as ECOWAS, the African Union, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).