A court-ordered test has confirmed that over 3.3 tonnes of substances intercepted by Ghana’s National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) in March 2025 is cocaine—marking the biggest drug seizure in the country’s history.
The drugs, with an estimated street value of $350 million, were hidden in sacks and bags, cleverly concealed beneath heaps of sand in a tipper truck en route to Accra. The truck was stopped at Pedu Junction in Cape Coast following a tip-off.
Personnel from the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA) conducted a cobalt thiocyanate test on Wednesday, June 4, taking random samples from three of the 2,970 slabs.
The testing exercise was carried out in open court before Justice Ruby Aryeetey, alongside state and defence attorneys, as well as officials from the NIB and Narcotic Control Commission (NCC).
With confirmation complete, the court has ordered the destruction of the remaining exhibits on June 20. Meanwhile, the criminal trial involving three suspects—driver Isaac Quaicoo, his assistant Kenneth Cobbinah, and Mawuku Kudufia—continues at the High Court in Accra. The case has been adjourned to June 24.
Three other suspects believed to be key figures in the operation—Kelian Julien Mensah, Jefflean Kwadjo Ntow, and Charles Hagan—are still at large.
During the court session, the state’s attempt to formally submit the lab results was blocked. Defence lawyer Victor Adawudu successfully argued that introducing the report before the Case Management Conference was premature, an objection upheld by the judge.
The March interception is a major milestone in Ghana’s fight against illicit drugs, both in scale and operational complexity. It reflects growing concerns about the country’s role as a potential transit point for international narcotics trafficking.
