The United Party’s Director of Operations says Ghanaians should allow investigators to trace entire drug trafficking networks instead of judging the Narcotics Control Commission solely by individual arrests.
Director of Operations of the United Party, Hopeson Yaovi Adorye, has urged the public to stop criticising the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) whenever drug consignments are intercepted, arguing that investigations must go beyond the arrest of individual suspects.
Speaking on JoyNews’ AM Show on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, Mr Adorye said drug trafficking investigations required time, intelligence gathering and careful coordination to identify everyone involved in a criminal network.
He said the Commission’s performance should not be assessed only by the number of people arrested immediately after a drug seizure, but also by its ability to trace suppliers, intermediaries and intended recipients.
“We should desist from accusing or bashing NACOC any time there is a drug bust. I don’t understand why people will come out and say you did not do anything,” he said.
Calls for focus on entire trafficking network
Mr Adorye explained that international drug trafficking often involved several actors, from manufacturers and suppliers to intermediaries and final consumers.
He argued that arresting only the person found transporting a consignment could leave other members of the network untouched.
According to him, investigators must therefore pursue leads across the entire supply chain to identify and apprehend as many people connected to the operation as possible.
He cited controlled delivery operations as an important investigative approach that allows law enforcement agencies to monitor suspicious consignments and gather evidence against other suspected members of trafficking networks.
“When we have point A, B, C. Point A is the manufacturer or the supplier. Point B is the intermediary, and then point C will be the final consumer of the product. If you want to just get one person arrested, you can do that, but it’s important to always trace the syndicate and get as many people arrested as possible,” he added.
Comments follow cocaine arrest in Lebanon
His comments follow the arrest of a Syrian national at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 31, after he arrived from Accra with approximately 40 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine concealed in two pieces of luggage.
NACOC said the arrest resulted from a coordinated controlled delivery exercise involving Ghanaian and Lebanese drug law enforcement authorities.
The Commission explained that the operation was designed to identify and apprehend suspects at both ends of the supply chain while gathering intelligence to dismantle the wider transnational criminal network.
It has also indicated that efforts are underway to arrest suspected accomplices in Ghana.
Debate over drug enforcement continues
The latest interception has renewed public discussion about Ghana’s role in international drug trafficking and the effectiveness of its enforcement systems.
Mr Adorye’s position is that the public should allow investigations to proceed and recognise the importance of identifying the wider network behind drug shipments, rather than drawing conclusions based solely on the initial arrests.
