Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has challenged the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) to intensify its efforts to identify and prosecute the financiers and organisers behind Ghana-linked narcotics trafficking instead of using its investigative powers to intimidate political opponents.
In a strongly worded statement, Mr Afenyo-Markin questioned what he described as the government’s handling of the growing drug trafficking concerns while focusing investigative attention on the Manhyia South Member of Parliament, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah.
He said the government must demonstrate equal or greater determination in pursuing drug networks operating through Ghana, particularly against the backdrop of recent large-scale cocaine seizures in Ghana and abroad.
The Minority Leader cited a JoyNews Research report published on October 1, 2026, which found that Ghana had recorded 11 cocaine cases among 28 drug busts since March 2025.
The research, based on seizures by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), the National Intelligence Bureau, the Ghana Police Service and foreign authorities, estimated the street value of the cocaine seized at between US$1.3 billion and US$1.7 billion.
According to the report, seven of the 11 cocaine seizures occurred in Ghana, while four were recorded abroad. However, the four foreign seizures accounted for about 12.4 tonnes, compared with approximately 3.6 tonnes from the seven seizures in Ghana for which weights were available.
Focus on the Kingpins
Mr Afenyo-Markin questioned why the country’s security and investigative agencies had not publicly identified the financiers, organisers and beneficiaries behind the large consignments.
“Ghanaians want to know: who are the financiers, organisers and beneficiaries? Where is the comparable zeal of our security agencies in pursuing them?” he asked.
He argued that EOCO’s statutory mandate gives it the tools to investigate organised economic crime, trace criminal proceeds and pursue lawful asset freezes and confiscation.
He therefore called for greater public accountability on how those powers were being deployed against suspected narcotics networks.
“EOCO and NACOC must collaborate. Follow the money. Trace the assets. Pursue the kingpins,” he said.
Baffour Awuah’s EOCO Case
The Minority Leader also criticised the circumstances surrounding the investigation involving the Manhyia South MP.
According to Mr Afenyo-Markin, Mr Baffour Awuah was approached by an EOCO official seeking to arrest him on September 23, 2026, after the MP had appeared at court to argue a bail application for a detained nurse.
He said no warrant or identification was produced at the time, according to the MP’s account of the incident.
A warrant was subsequently obtained by EOCO, with the court directing that it be executed through the Speaker of Parliament.
Mr Afenyo-Markin said Mr Baffour Awuah had previously referred EOCO’s February invitations to the Clerk of Parliament but alleged that the agency did not recognise the correspondence.
He questioned EOCO’s assertion that it had exhausted reasonable means of securing the MP’s attendance before seeking the arrest warrant.
On October 1, Mr Baffour Awuah voluntarily reported to EOCO accompanied by his lawyer and fellow MPs.
The Minority Leader said the MP was kept waiting for several hours before questioning began, describing the circumstances as raising concerns about fairness and the exercise of investigative powers.
He stressed, however, that the Minority was not seeking to prejudge the SIC Life Savings & Loans investigation.
“No one is above the law, EOCO included,” he said, while arguing that the treatment of the MP formed part of what he described as a broader attempt to intimidate critical opposition voices.
Massive Cocaine Seizures
Mr Afenyo-Markin cited several major narcotics seizures in support of his demand for greater focus on organised drug networks.
JoyNews Research reported that in June 2025, Dutch authorities intercepted nearly 4,500 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden in a wood shipment from Ghana at the Port of Amsterdam. The seizure was described as the largest cocaine seizure ever recorded at the port.
In November 2025, 2,829 kilogrammes of cocaine were reportedly discovered at Antwerp concealed in cassava flour shipped from Tema, while another seizure of about 1,158 kilogrammes was recorded at Antwerp in December.
More recently, French authorities seized approximately 3.9 tonnes of cocaine at Dunkirk in September 2026 in a container declared as plastic waste, according to JoyNews Research.
In Ghana, the largest seizure cited in the report involved approximately 3,319.68 kilogrammes of cocaine buried beneath sand in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast in March 2025.
The Minority Leader said the scale of the seizures demanded greater attention to the people financing and coordinating the trade rather than only those found physically transporting the drugs.
Galamsey Concerns
Mr Afenyo-Markin also expanded his criticism to illegal mining, accusing the government of failing to adequately pursue influential individuals allegedly involved in illegal mining activities.
He claimed that the government was more interested in the foreign exchange generated from gold than the environmental and social damage caused by illegal mining.
He referred to President John Mahama’s previous acknowledgement that individuals associated with his administration were involved in illegal mining and his reference to “big fish who never get caught.”
The Minority Leader questioned what had become of a July 2025 directive to investigate two NDC officials over allegations relating to illegal mining.
He argued that the continued pollution of water bodies, alongside concerns over narcotics trafficking, pointed to what he described as a broader accountability problem.
Minority’s Demands
Mr Afenyo-Markin outlined three demands, including the immediate and unconditional release of Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah from EOCO custody.
He also demanded an end to what he described as the misuse of arrest and prosecution to intimidate political opponents or suppress free expression.
The Minority Leader further called for vigorous investigations into narcotics and illegal-mining networks, lawful tracing and freezing of suspected criminal assets, evidence-based prosecutions and public accountability for the results of such investigations.
He urged EOCO and NACOC to work together to trace the financial networks behind organised drug trafficking.
“Follow the money. Trace the assets. Pursue the kingpins,” he reiterated.
Mr Afenyo-Markin concluded by warning EOCO’s leadership that public authority comes with responsibility and accountability.
He also assured the Minority that it would continue to scrutinise the government’s actions and demand accountability, saying the opposition would not be intimidated into silence.
