The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) destroyed seized narcotic drugs at Bundase in an exercise with an estimated street value of more than US$10 million.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] The destroyed stock included 564.39 kilograms of cannabis, valued at US$112,878.[1][2][3][4][5][11][6][8][10][12] The same destruction included 4,730,100 capsules and tablets of synthetic opioids, estimated at US$5,912,625, and 338,000 bottles of codeine-infused cough mixture, valued at US$4,225,000.[1][2][4][5] The Ghana Standards Authority verified the authenticity of the seized substances before destruction, and tests confirmed cannabis in the samples.[1][13][4][5][6][8]

After the exercise, NACOC Director-General Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey spoke to the media.[1] Mantey said the Commission remained committed to fighting narcotics despite a recent drug seizure in Lebanon linked to Ghana.[1][5][6] He said the Lebanon-linked seizure did not mean the Commission had failed in its mandate and that it would continue efforts against drug trafficking despite the challenges.[1][4] Mantey reaffirmed the Commission’s resolve to intensify efforts to tackle the narcotics trade.[1][4] He said NACOC would not give up in the face of challenges.[1][8] He said the commission would pursue traffickers wherever they were and believed it would win the fight.[1][8]

The seized drugs had been cleared for destruction through court orders.[3][11][10] The destruction took place at the Bundase Infantry Training School in the Greater Accra Region on 5 November 2026.[3][11][7][10][12] NACOC put the combined value of the three categories at US$10,250,503.[3][11][12]

Mantey said the Lebanon incident should not be viewed as evidence of institutional failure.[4] NACOC did not disclose exactly where the destroyed substances had been seized.[4]

The drugs destroyed had been confiscated during NACOC’s anti-drug operations.[5]

Mantey urged the public to report suspicious activity to the Commission and said its doors were open to anyone with information on drug trafficking.[6]

Mantey said collaborating institutions gave the exercise transparency and accountability in handling the exhibits.[8] Mantey said some international partners had described Ghana as increasingly becoming a “no-go area” for drug traffickers after recent enforcement successes.[8] Mantey said NACOC held more than 10 million tramadol tablets awaiting court processes for destruction.[8] He said details of some operations were withheld because of the sensitivity and complexity of the investigations.[8]

The Commission said the exercise formed part of its efforts to rid the country of illicit drugs seized in its enforcement operations and to stop them re-entering circulation.[12]