The arrest of Ghanaians for possessing narcotic drugs at the famous Mohammed V. Airport in Casablanca, Morocco, is gradually becoming a regular feature as the Police in the Northern African country have made two arrests in just under a month. According to a Ghana Police report available to the Gye Nyame Concord newspaper, on Friday, 23rd May 2008 and 21st May 2008…

..the Moroccan police embarked on a double pronged swoop and arrested two Ghanaian nationals together with two Nigerians who were trying to smuggle cocaine through Morocco to Milan, Italy.

The suspects, whose names have been withheld since investigations are ongoing, were busted with 76 pallets of cocaine concealed in their stomachs, crossing over to the Italian capital with their Nigerian accomplices. The two, aged 25 and 27 years respectively, have been described in the Police report as part of a gang of a most notorious syndicate operating in the drug trade between the West Africa sub-region to Europe across the Mediterranean.

The two Nigerians, a 35-year old lady had swallowed 18 pallets of cocaine whiles her colleague, a 26-year old man, described in the report as a businessman had 70 pallets concealed in his suitcase. According to the Police source, the Ghanaians together with their Nigerian drug barons had arrived at the Mohammed V Airport from the West African country of Guinea Conakry with the over 164 pallets of cocaine to be delivered to their clientele in Milan, Italy. The report indicated that over 100 suspected drug traffickers from sub-Saharan countries have been arrested at the Mohammed V Airport since 2006 after the country’s authorities realized they were losing the fight against the drug menace.

In 2006, the report noted that a record haul of 911kg of cocaine was seized by the Moroccan authorities, 50 times more than what they had in their custody in 2005, using scanner-checks. Like Ghana, Morocco is also struggling to battle the drug menace as most of the traffickers from sub-Saharan countries like Guinea, Ghana and Nigeria have resulted to using the Mediterranean which is far closer to their destination points in Europe. The report maintained that worldwide use of drugs including the sniffing of cocaine has not only become criminal but also found to be a source of wrong and uproar manners in the society and that in some countries persons found to be on drugs or ever caught in the act of trafficking in the dangerous drug get their properties confiscated with other being hanged to death.

Recently, a Minister of State at the Interior Ministry, Nana Obiri Boahene, on Choice Fm, an Accra based radio station programme, noted that drug trafficking is natural and must not be seen as albatross Ghana alone. The Minister added that he was surprised about the enthusiasm at which journalists are so conscious on the drug issue and attacking the NPP government, saying that “this problem existed before we came to power in 2001” “This is not news at all, the most important question you should ask me is whether the government is committed to track evils in the society”, he told the interviewer when he was asked whether government was nervous about the sudden large amount of drug cases and its resultant effect on the nation.

The Minister continued that “if you are talking about the image of Ghana, I wish you go to the USA, I don’t know the reason why people are creating the impression as if we have not arrested people dealing in drugs when we assume office, people sell drugs in the States and Canada, does that mean the image of the country is destroyed”. Nana Obiri Boahene could not hide his emotions as he attacked critics for taking the NPP government to task over the drug crisis facing the nation, asking opticians who think that what is happening is due to the lack of political will to come and fight the menace.