Kofi Bentil ESQ, Vice-President of the policy think tank IMANI Africa, has set social media abuzz after revealing what he describes as a wide-reaching conspiracy enabling Ghana’s airports to serve as transit hubs for illicit drugs, including cocaine.
In a Facebook post, Bentil shared messages from an anonymous source who claimed to have direct knowledge of recent events surrounding the record-breaking cocaine bust at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport. The source described an elaborate scheme involving multiple Ghanaian security agencies, allowing narcotics to be smuggled out of the country undetected.
According to the account relayed by Bentil, the operation is meticulously coordinated. “There is a grand conspiracy in respect of the cocaine seizure at the airport. The suitcases are driven to the tarmac and loaded directly into the airplane,” the source explained. The conspiracy, it was alleged, includes insiders from Customs, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI), National Security, Police, and Aviation Security, all of whom are aware of and complicit in these operations. “The TEAM at various points ensures the bags are loaded in special spaces on board.”
The source even described a code phrase, “NNE WO NYAME NKO,” meaning “Go with your God”—used as a signal to facilitate the movement of the contraband. “If all goes through, everyone is sorted big time aside the usual,” the message added, implying lucrative payoffs for the collaborators.
In a striking contradiction to official accounts, Bentil’s source alleged that the widely publicized explanation by NACOC, that the Beirut cocaine bust was the result of a controlled delivery operation in partnership with Lebanese authorities, was a fabrication. “NACOC is lying. The government is deeply involved,” the source claimed, further alleging that after the arrest in Beirut, Lebanese Customs contacted Ghana Customs directly, bypassing NACOC.
The controversy follows the October 31 arrest of a Syrian national at Beirut’s international airport. The suspect, who arrived from Accra, was caught with 46.7kg of cocaine, the largest drug seizure ever recorded at the airport. NACOC responded with a statement on November 1, insisting the incident was part of a coordinated effort with Lebanese counterparts to disrupt transnational trafficking networks and apprehend suspects at both ends.
However, the official narrative has come under scrutiny from security analysts and opposition figures, who question how such a large consignment could leave Ghana if authorities were truly monitoring the operation. NACOC, for its part, maintains that it is actively pursuing accomplices within the country as the investigation continues.
Bentil’s explosive revelations have intensified calls for transparency and accountability, as Ghanaians grapple with the possibility of systemic collusion in the nation’s law enforcement ranks.
Source: Apexnewsgh.com