Mahama Restores NACOC to Port Inspection Crew After Drug Bust Report – Sammy Gyamfi

Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board, Sammy Gyamfi, says President John Dramani Mahama’s directive to restore the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) to the list of Port Inspection Agencies is a welcoming development.

In a statement, Gyamfi said he was deeply concerned about a recent report of a drug bust in another jurisdiction, the origin of which was traced to one of Ghana’s ports.

According to him, the incidents could have only been occasioned by weak monitoring and inspection systems at the country’s ports.

He noted that the body mandated to monitor, regulate, enforce and control the trafficking of narcotics in Ghana is the Narcotics Control Commission, and it is therefore intriguing that NACOC was completely removed from the list of Port Inspection Agencies by the government in June 2018.

Mr Gyamfi said it is evident that the decision weakened NACOC’s port inspection function and denied it the ability to detect and prevent drug trafficking through the country’s ports of entry and exit.

“It is therefore refreshing to learn that President Mahama has directed that, effective immediately, NACOC be restored to the list of Port Inspection Agencies and granted unfettered access to all entry and exit points, by air, land and sea,” he stated.

Mr Gyamfi said that, as someone who has closely worked with the Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey-led NACOC in fighting gold smuggling, he is confident that with the necessary support, NACOC will succeed in stemming the tide.

He added that he understands the President has also directed that all scanners and personnel at the ports be changed, effective immediately.

“I believe that these measures, if implemented effectively, will strengthen checks and control at our ports to forestall the recurrence of these unfortunate incidents,” he said.

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