Seizures of illicit drugs in foreign countries reported to be shipped from Ghana have placed the country under a renewed spotlight as a transit point in international narcotics trafficking.
Narcotic drugs that passed through Ghanaian ports and were seized internationally and locally since 2025 is estimated to have a street value of over $914 million, including a single largest seizure of $350 million in a major operation in March 2025, a $296 million bust in Port interdiction in April 2026, $6.9 million in a targeted enforcement action in August 2026, and a $261.45 million coordinated multi-agency raid in September 2026.
The latest bust is about 3.9 metric tons of cocaine with an estimated street value of €225 million ($261.45 million) seized in France by the French Customs officers at the northern port of Dunkirk on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
According to the French Organised Crime Prosecutor’s Office, the cocaine was concealed inside a container of plastic waste arriving from Ghana and was initially destined in part for Antwerp, Belgium.
The cocaine, reports indicate, has since been destroyed, and the French prosecutor has opened an investigation.
French customs seized 108.81 tonnes of narcotics across France in 2025, covering all drug types, with an estimated value of €2.197 billion.
The authorities said the seizure followed a targeted operation by the judicial police against a criminal network suspected of being behind the shipment.
Charges under investigation include the organised importation of narcotics and participation in a criminal association, carrying penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
It must, however, be pointed out that the fact that the container originated in Ghana does not, on its own, establish that the Ghanaian government, Ghanaian customs officials, the shipping company, or any Ghana-based business was involved in the alleged criminal operation.
The French investigation could nevertheless provide important information about how the shipment entered the international supply chain and whether other consignments may have followed similar routes.
Reports indicate that the cocaine has since been destroyed, while prosecutors have opened the investigation into the shipment and the network allegedly responsible.
The seizure highlighted the continued efforts by European authorities to disrupt international drug trafficking networks and intercept large consignments of cocaine entering the continent.
Australia intercepts US$208m meth shipment from Ghana
It would be recalled that three people were charged in Australia following the interception by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) of about 320 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in a shipment from Ghana worth an estimated A$296 million ($208 million) from reaching Australian streets.
“The seizure of these drugs, with an estimated street value of $296 million, has prevented a potential 3.2 million deals from reaching Australian streets and demonstrates the AFP’s ability to operate seamlessly across borders,” AFP said in a statement.
The AFP said it launched an investigation in April 2026 after Australian Border Force (ABF) officers detected anomalies in two shipping containers that arrived at Sydney’s Port Botany from Ghana.
The shipment, declared as bags of charcoal, was subjected to X-ray screening, during which officers discovered a white crystallised substance. Preliminary tests returned a positive result for methamphetamine.
ABF Superintendent Jared Leighton said border officers remained alert to increasingly sophisticated attempts by criminal syndicates to smuggle illicit drugs into the country.
“Criminal syndicates will go to great lengths to disguise illicit drugs, including embedding them in everyday goods like charcoal, but our highly skilled officers are trained to see beyond these attempts.
“Working closely with our law enforcement partners, the ABF will ensure that those involved in trafficking illicit drugs are detected at the border and held accountable,” Leighton said.
A British actress, who appeared in an EastEnders spin-off and a Jason Statham movie, was charged over her alleged role in the failed importation.
Emaa Hussen, 34, appeared in a Sydney court and was charged with attempting to import a commercial quantity of methamphetamine into Australia.
Investigators alleged the UK national attended the facility and supervised a group of men as they unpacked the container.
Several bags were subsequently loaded into a vehicle and transported to a house in Blacktown.
