Illicit Tobacco Trade a Threat to Public Health and State Revenue – NACOC Boss
The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Brigadier General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, says the illicit tobacco trade is costing governments billions in lost tax revenue while endangering public health and fuelling organized crime.
He warned that illegal tobacco products undermine legitimate businesses and expose consumers to dangerous, unregulated, and counterfeit products.
Brig Gen Mantey was speaking at the opening of a Training of Trainers workshop on illicit tobacco trade on Monday, April 27, 2026, at the Bureau of National Intelligence (BNI) Training School in Tesano, Accra.
The week-long workshop was organized by the National Security Council Secretariat in partnership with Sahel Holding Security.
It aims to strengthen the capacity of frontline officers to detect, investigate, and disrupt illicit tobacco trafficking networks.
Brig Gen Mantey said the training will equip officers at Ghana’s entry and exit points with modern, intelligence-led tools to tackle the growing menace.
“The programme will improve inter-agency coordination and intelligence sharing among participating institutions, encouraging stronger collaboration in tackling cross-border criminal activities,” he noted.
The NACOC boss added that the workshop will create a pool of trained facilitators who will step down the knowledge to other officers within their agencies, scaling up the impact nationwide.
Participating institutions include NACOC, the Bureau of National Intelligence, National Security, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Ports and Harbour Security, and the Food and Drugs Authority.
The training forms part of broader government efforts to safeguard public health, protect state revenue, and dismantle criminal syndicates behind the illicit tobacco trade.
Brig Gen Mantey stressed that beyond economic losses, illegal tobacco fuels other forms of organized crime and poses serious health risks due to lack of regulatory oversight.
The workshop is expected to close on Friday, May 1, 2026.
