NACOC says cocaine was concealed in food products in KIA bust
In the early hours of February 11, 2026, media reports claimed that operatives of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) had arrested a senior manager of a manufacturing company for allegedly attempting to smuggle cocaine out of the country.
However, Deputy Director General of NACOC, Alexander Twum-Barimah, has clarified that the individuals arrested are not employees or members of management of any of the brands whose products were used to conceal the drugs.
Speaking in an interview on TV3’s Ghana Tonight on February 11, 2026, Twum-Barimah explained that the suspects used popular wholesome food brands in Ghana as part of their concealment method, stressing that the individuals have no affiliation with the companies.
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“The persons arrested are not managers or staff of any popular food manufacturing company. From where our investigations have reached, they are not linked to these companies in any way,” he said.
According to the Deputy Director General, NACOC has encountered about four different food products used in similar attempts at different times.
He explained that the first incident involved about 250kg of cocaine, which was intercepted in the Netherlands after being shipped from Ghana and concealed among branded food products.
He noted that, for reasons of fairness and corporate integrity, the companies themselves are not responsible for the acts of these individuals, hence NACOC’s decision not to publicly name any brands.
He added, “The second incident occurred in 2025 at the cargo section of Kotoka International Airport, where cocaine was again mixed with food products. When we intercepted it, no individual was present, so we seized the items and began investigations. That particular batch contained about 3kg of cocaine, which we sent to the Ghana Standards Authority for testing. It was confirmed to be cocaine.”
Twum-Barimah said NACOC then intensified its monitoring to determine whether there was a recurring pattern.
He disclosed that earlier, in 2022, officers had also intercepted a case involving a different food product mixed with cocaine. In all these cases, part of the packaging contained genuine food products, while other portions concealed the narcotics.
He further noted, “So we decided to investigate deeper. Through CCTV footage and further work, we were able to arrest a suspect when he attempted to repeat the act for the third time, this time using yet another product. That batch contained 1.05kg of cocaine. We also arrested a female suspect and discovered they had machines they were using for these activities.”
When asked whether all the previous instances, including the 250kg bust in 2025, involved the same food manufacturing company’s product, Twum-Barimah clarified:
“No. Three different brands were involved. The fourth case was not really tied to any brand. In the 250kg case in the Netherlands, a particular company’s food product was used to conceal the cocaine in the container. The arrangement had the food products at the outer layers and the cocaine hidden within. The same pattern was used in the Kotoka case, where food products from various companies were used as part of the concealment.”
AK/AM
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