8,500kg narcotics, 45.4m tramadol tablets seized in 20 months – Muntaka

Ghana seized more than 8,500 kilograms of narcotic drugs and intercepted about 45.4 million tramadol tablets in the past 20 months, the Minister for the Interior, Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, has disclosed.

He said the seizures formed part of intensified efforts by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) to disrupt the illicit drug trade, particularly the growing use of synthetic drugs among young people.

Updating the public at the Government Accountability Series on Monday, August 24, 2026, Mr Muntaka said 217 arrests had been made, and 165 prosecutions initiated over the period.

“Narcotics Control has intensified its efforts, and imagine that in less than two years, over 45 million tablets of tramadol were seized and intercepted,” he added.

The minister said the  government’s drug enforcement strategy was also targeting the assets and finances of suspected traffickers.

He said 73 assets had been recovered, while about 19 kilograms of gold had been seized in suspected drug-related money laundering cases.

Authorities had also restrained about GH¢6.9 million and $440,000 in cash associated with suspected drug-related activities, he said.

Muntaka said the fight against narcotics was not limited to enforcement, with NACOC also intensifying public education on the dangers of substance abuse.

He said more than 2,000 educational lessons had been conducted across the country, targeting schools, tertiary institutions, faith-based organisations, communities, and workplaces.

The programmes included 1,153 sessions at the basic school level, 185 in secondary schools and 41 in tertiary institutions.

Another 187 sessions were held in faith-based institutions, 147 in communities and 235 in workplaces.

The Interior Minister, however, identified rehabilitation as a major gap in Ghana’s response to substance abuse, saying the country does not have a state-owned rehabilitation centre.