GH₵20m worth of Opioids seized at Tema Port: Health Minister vows crackdown on trafficking

Ghanaian authorities have intercepted a massive shipment of opioids worth an estimated GH₵20 million at the Tema Port, in what officials are describing as a breakthrough in the fight against illicit drug trafficking.

The seizure, led by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) in collaboration with other stakeholders, uncovered a container packed with powerful opioid medications, including Tapentadol in various dosages, Loperamide, and Chlorpheniramine Maleate.

Authorities revealed that the container was bound for Niger, using Ghana as a transit point—a growing concern for security agencies monitoring West Africa’s rising role in global drug smuggling networks.

Speaking during a press briefing at Tema Port, Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, assured Ghanaians that the government is taking a firm stand against the country being used to facilitate such illegal trades.

“Since we are interested in facilitating trade in this country, we will not allow Ghana to be a haven for opioids,” Akandoh stressed.

He also disclosed that the issue has attracted the highest level of government attention, with the president himself keenly monitoring developments.

“Let me tell you that the President is personally interested in this matter. On my way here, he called me twice, and it tells you how critical this particular issue is,” the Health Minister revealed.

The Minister further assured that the government, in partnership with relevant agencies, is working to tighten regulations and enhance monitoring at all major ports to prevent Ghana from becoming a corridor for drug trafficking.

“We are taking decisive steps to ensure that we close every loophole and prevent such dangerous substances from being trafficked through our country,” he added.

Though Ghana has not experienced an opioid crisis on the scale of countries like the United States, experts have been raising red flags about growing opioid use and trafficking in West Africa, including Ghana.

In Ghana, reports of opioid misuse, especially among young people, are on the rise, although detailed national data is still limited. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has noted the increasing use of West African ports as transit hubs for illicit drugs, including opioids, which are trafficked from Asia and Latin America en route to Europe and North America.