The Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, has appealed to the public to share intelligence on suspected drug trafficking and other criminal activities without making excessive financial demands on security agencies.
He said some informants demanded large sums of money before providing information, placing additional pressure on agencies already operating with limited resources to combat drug-related offences.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show in an interview monitored by the Ghana News Agency, Mr Muntaka cited a case at the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) in which an individual allegedly demanded US$20 million from the Director-General before providing information on suspected drug activities.
“We are pleading with our citizens that we need to keep all of us safe. We don’t have unlimited resources. Sometimes we do this from our own pockets. Please help us without necessarily making untoward demands,” he said.
The Minister said similar demands were made by people who approached the Interior Ministry with information about suspected criminal activities, with some requesting as much as GH¢5,000.
“I sit at the ministry, people run and come, there is this thing happening and you have to give me something; they demand 5000,” he revealed.
Mr Muntaka said about 99 per cent of the information received was credible and deserved consideration for compensation, but acknowledged that the Ministry had limited resources to meet all the demands.
He assured informants that the Government would provide assistance where necessary, including transport costs and security protection for people whose cooperation exposed them to potential danger.
“Where we genuinely need to assist you to cover your transport and other things, we will. Where we have to protect you with security due to the information you gave us, we will do so. But the demands sometimes break our necks and makes our people pissed off,” he said.
The Minister stressed that public cooperation was essential to the fight against drug trafficking, particularly as international criminal networks, including South American cartels, use West Africa as a transit route.
“We need international collaboration with our neighbours and all citizens. If you see something, say something,” he appealed.
Providing an update on anti-narcotics operations, Mr Muntaka said the Government had recorded 28 drug seizures over the preceding 20 months, including 11 involving cocaine.
He also reported five drug-related operations conducted internationally, with two in Belgium and one each in Australia, France and the Netherlands.
According to the Minister, measures to strengthen anti-narcotics operations include training more security personnel in image analysis, retooling security agencies and providing incentives to officers.
He added that rigorous checks at the airport would commence soon and urged the public to cooperate with security personnel, despite any minor inconveniences the exercises might cause.
Data from NACOC, the National Intelligence Bureau, the Ghana Police Service and foreign authorities indicated that the 28 seizures recorded since March 2025 involved consignments intercepted in Ghana and shipments seized abroad after leaving or passing through the country.
Other substances seized included cannabis, methamphetamine, heroin and pharmaceutical opioids, although the specific drugs involved in some consignments were not publicly disclosed.