The Minister for the Interior, Mubarak Mohammed Muntaka, says he will not yield to political pressure to compromise efforts to arrest and prosecute people suspected of involvement in illicit drug activities.
He said his ministry, working with the relevant security agencies, would pursue suspects, including alleged kingpins, and ensure they were made to face the due legal process.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, October 12, Mr Muntaka appealed to the political class to support the fight against illicit drugs, rather than intervene on behalf of suspects.
He said political influence would not determine how suspects were handled, insisting that the evidence gathered against them would be tested in court.
“We want everybody to support us, especially the political class, because sometimes I get calls, and I tell them that, look, for us, crime is a crime. We do not care who is involved; once we get the person, we will prepare our evidence and ask you to meet us in court. When we go, and the court says that our evidence is not strong enough, so we should go, fine, but for us, we will not compromise,” he said.
Mr Muntaka said the government’s priority was to dismantle illicit drug operations and identify those directing the trade.
“Our focus is to uproot (illicit drug trading) and get the kingpins. It’s not easy to get the kingpins, but we are working around it to ensure that we uproot these things,” he added.
The Minister said the commitment formed part of his broader approach to tackling illicit drug cultivation and trafficking in Ghana.
He maintained that suspects would be processed through the legal system, regardless of their status or attempts by influential individuals to secure their release outside the established process.