Over 40 MPs Petition Speaker to Recall Parliament over 3.9-Tonne Cocaine Seizure in France

More than forty Members of Parliament have petitioned the Speaker of Parliament to recall the House from recess following the reported seizure of approximately 3.9 tonnes of cocaine in France from a container originating from Ghana.

In a memorandum dated September 18, 2026 and signed by the First Deputy Minority Whip, Hon. Habib Iddrisu, MP for Tolon, the MPs invoked Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 53 of the Standing Orders of Parliament, which provide that fifteen per cent of members may request a meeting of Parliament and that the Speaker shall within seven days summon Parliament.

The petitioners said the gravity of the matters and their implications for national security, public safety, institutional accountability and Ghana’s international reputation warrant an urgent recall.

They argued the matters cannot be deferred until the ordinary resumption of Parliament as international narcotics trafficking poses a serious threat to national security, public safety and Ghana’s international standing.

The petitioners stressed that the request is not to prejudge guilt, interfere with investigations or undermine law enforcement, but to enable Parliament to discharge its oversight responsibilities.

The first matter cited was the reported seizure by French authorities of about 3.9 tonnes of cocaine at the Port of Dunkirk, concealed in a container reportedly originating from Ghana.

They are therefore requesting the Speaker to summon Parliament within the constitutionally prescribed period, facilitate deliberations and, where appropriate, institute an inquiry, and ensure relevant Ministers and institutional heads brief Parliament on the incidents, progress of investigations and preventive measures.

The MPs said the scale of the seizure raises critical questions regarding the security and integrity of Ghana’s ports and export systems, customs controls, intelligence gathering, narcotics enforcement and the effectiveness of institutions mandated to safeguard the country’s borders.

While noting that investigations by Ghanaian and international authorities are ongoing, the MPs said Parliament has a constitutional responsibility to exercise oversight, establish the relevant facts and ensure institutional accountability without prejudicing investigations.

Secondly, the MPs urged Parliament to institute a parliamentary inquiry into narcotics trafficking and institutional accountability, involving the Ministers for Interior, Transport and National Security, the Narcotics Control Commission, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana Immigration Service, the National Intelligence Bureau and other relevant agencies.

They want Parliament to be apprised of the circumstances under which the container intercepted in France was processed, cleared and exported, the port or facility through which it departed including inspection and scanning procedures, the companies and agencies involved in its handling, the status of investigations including arrests and charges; cooperation with French and other international counterparts; measures to identify financiers and criminal networks, adequacy of security and surveillance systems at ports and airports, and measures to prevent Ghana from being used as a transit hub for narcotics.

The memorandum also places the Dunkirk seizure within a broader context of other significant drug-related incidents involving Ghana since 2025 including the Pedu Junction interception on March 4, where the National Intelligence Bureau reportedly intercepted more than 3.3 tonnes of cocaine concealed beneath sand in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction, Cape Coast, valued at over US$350 million; about 120 slabs of cocaine valued at about US$150 million intercepted along the Takoradi-Cape Coast Highway; and the seizure on 5th August, 2026 of 866 parcels of suspected cocaine concealed in sacks of gari at a warehouse within the Tema Harbour enclave valued at US$6.9 million.

The MPs also cited an unresolved aircraft incident involving an aircraft alleged to have been carrying narcotics and undeclared US currency from Gran Canaria, which reportedly landed at Kotoka International Airport on or around 20th March, 2025, and the case of MV Sankofa, which was reportedly found sailing under a forged flag, released by the Ghana Maritime Authority upon payment of a fraction of an applicable fine of nearly GH¢12 million without full inspection, and subsequently arrested in Senegal reportedly carrying narcotics.

They further cited international seizures linked to Ghana, including 320 kilogrammes of methamphetamine valued at about US$261 million concealed in a charcoal consignment traced to Ghana, seized by Australian customs on June 18, 2026, and the 3.9 tonnes of cocaine seized at Dunkirk on September 10, 2026, valued at over US$260 million.

According to the petitioners, the cumulative value of major seizures linked to Ghana in less than two years is well over US$1 billion.

Expressing concern about the progress of investigations into the Pedu Junction seizure, it noted that more than a year after the incident, only the driver, a housemaid and a small number of peripheral actors have been arraigned and remain on bail, while financiers and principal traffickers remain unidentified.

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