GHANA CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE (GCBC)PRESS STATEMENT

Reclaiming the Soul of Our Nation: A Moral Call to Action against the Escalating Drug
Menace in Ghana

“Rescue those who are being dragged away to death; hold back those staggering towards
slaughter.” (Proverbs 24:11)
Preamble
We, the members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, greet all Catholics, our fellow
Christians and all people of goodwill. As shepherds of the flock of Christ, we cannot remain silent
while illicit drug trafficking and abuse threaten the moral fabric, security and future of our nation.
The drug menace is no longer a distant threat. It is a serious national concern and a profound moral
crisis that cannot be treated merely as a routine criminal matter.

The Immediate Occasion
On 10 September 2026, French customs authorities at Dunkirk intercepted nearly 3.9 tonnes of
cocaine, with an estimated street value of €225 million, concealed in a container of plastic waste
that had arrived from Ghana. Part of it was reportedly destined for Antwerp, Belgium. Four
Ghanaians were arraigned before the High Court in Accra on 16 September 2026: Desmond
Koranteng Curiel, alias “Paul Kweku Yeboah” or “Biggs”; Musah Attah, alias “Kromo”; Kweku
Otchere; and Jessica Hartog. They face charges of conspiracy to export narcotic drugs without a
licence and exportation of narcotic drugs, and were remanded to reappear on 13 October 2026. A
fifth accused, Dutch national Jos Leijdekkers, alias “Bolle Jos”, is reported to be at large.
We respect the judicial process, and the accused are presumed innocent until proved guilty.
Nevertheless, the scale of the alleged shipment is deeply disturbing. Investigations must establish
how such a consignment left Ghana through legitimate commercial channels. We commend the
Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) and other agencies, and urge continued cooperation
with the French authorities to establish the full extent of the network involved. We also commend
the President for the formation of an inter-agency task force to tackle the trafficking of narcotic
drugs through our ports, airports, and borders.

A Wider National Crisis
This seizure is one episode in a wider problem. Ghana’s geographical position and participation in
international trade make vigilance at our ports, airports and borders especially important.
In a memorandum dated 18 September 2026, more than forty Members of Parliament, invoking
Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 53 of the Standing Orders, petitioned the
Speaker to recall Parliament from recess.

The memorandum places the Dunkirk seizure within a pattern of incidents dating from March
2025: a 3.3-tonne cocaine haul hidden under sand in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction, Cape Coast;
another cocaine consignment intercepted on the Takoradi–Cape Coast highway; hundreds of
parcels of suspected cocaine found in sacks of gari at a Tema Harbour warehouse; an unresolved
case involving a flight from Gran Canaria alleged to have carried narcotics and undeclared
currency; a vessel released after payment of a partial fine and later arrested abroad with narcotics;
and methamphetamine concealed in a charcoal shipment, intercepted by Australian customs.
The signatories estimate that high-profile seizures linked to Ghana over the past two years exceed
US$1 billion in value. According to NACOC, intelligence-led operations resulted in 217 arrests
and 165 prosecutions, with more than 8.5 tonnes of assorted narcotic drugs and 45.4 million
tramadol tablets intercepted during the period under review.

We are equally troubled by the domestic face of this menace: drug abuse among young people, the
corrosive effect of drug money on our institutions, and the temptation it poses to persons in
positions of trust, whether in commerce, the security services or, we say with sorrow, within the
Church herself.

The problem also reaches into public service. In March 2026, the Ghana Revenue Authority
reported the arrest of nine public officers over a large consignment of undeclared tramadol at Tema
Port, including five Customs officers and personnel from NACOC, Port Security, the Energy
Commission and the Ghana Standards Authority. They were granted police inquiry bail while
investigations continued. The fight must include anyone who abuses public trust to facilitate the
movement of illicit substances.

We note with concern the memorandum’s observation that, more than a year after the Pedu
Junction seizure, only the driver, a housemaid and a few peripheral suspects have been arraigned,
while the financiers and principal traffickers remain unidentified. A pattern in which couriers are
prosecuted while the networks that finance them escape scrutiny is the failure any credible national
response must overcome.

MORAL AND PASTORAL REFLECTION

The drug trade is, at root, a moral evil because it exploits human vulnerability, damages human
health and dignity, and places profit above persons. Scripture teaches that our bodies are temples
of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19–20). The Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2291,
teaches that drug use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offence, and that clandestine
production and trafficking are scandalous practices constituting direct cooperation in evil.
The trade preys on poverty, unemployment and weakened family relationships, offering the
illusion of quick wealth while bringing addiction, violence, imprisonment, broken families and
death.

Complicity, whether through production, trafficking, distribution or deliberate protection of
traffickers, cannot be justified by financial gain. Nor can the suffering of those struggling with
addiction be treated merely as a criminal matter. They need medical, psychological, social and
spiritual assistance, and the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

An Appeal to Government
We appeal to the Government to treat the fight against narcotics as an urgent national concern,
pursuing a coordinated strategy involving the Police Service, NACOC, Customs, port authorities,
the judiciary and schools. We call for timely prosecution of persons against whom credible
evidence exists, while respecting constitutional rights and judicial independence. Our ports,
airports and borders must be properly equipped to detect illicit consignments.

We urge stronger cooperation with INTERPOL and Europol in investigating transnational
networks and locating wanted persons. Investigations must follow the money and identify the
networks, businesses and financial arrangements that sustain the trade, and every public official
reasonably suspected of complicity should be investigated regardless of rank. Government should
also strengthen prevention and treatment programmes, expand rehabilitation services, and address
the poverty and unemployment that make people vulnerable to trafficking.

We welcome Parliament’s exercise of its oversight function. The memorandum proposes that the
Ministers for the Interior, Transport and National Security, together with NACOC, the Ghana Ports
and Harbours Authority, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana Immigration Service and the
National Intelligence Bureau, be summoned to account for the adequacy of scanning, surveillance
and clearance procedures at our ports and airports. This is a legitimate and necessary step. We urge
that any sitting proceed without delay, with the sobriety proper to a matter of this gravity rather
than partisan point-scoring, and that every institution cooperate fully and transparently.

Responsibility of the Church, the Family and Society
This battle cannot be left to Government alone. We call upon Catholic parishes, schools and youth
organisations to intensify drug-prevention education, mentorship and pastoral accompaniment,
and urge priests, consecrated persons, catechists and lay leaders to address the issue courageously
in their preaching and catechesis.

We appeal to parents and guardians to stay close to their children, listen to them, know their friends
and concerns, and give them moral and emotional support. The family remains essential for the
formation of conscience, character and responsibility.

Young people struggling with drug use should not be abandoned or condemned, but encouraged
to seek professional help. To our young people we say plainly: do not be deceived by the temporary
gains promised by the drug trade. Choose life. Build your future upon honest work, faith,
education, virtue and service. Your dignity is beyond price, and the Church stands ready to
accompany you.

Pastoral Appeal and Prayer
We offer our prayer and pastoral support to every family affected by addiction and to communities
suffering drug-related crime. We pray for those involved in the trade, that they may recognise the
harm they have caused, repent and find new life. We pray for those struggling with addiction, and
for our judges, investigators, law-enforcement officers, public servants, educators and health
professionals, that they may act with courage, wisdom and integrity. We entrust this national
struggle to Mary, Queen of Ghana, and seek the intercession of our saints and martyrs.

Conclusion

The drug menace strikes at the heart of our nation’s life and demands urgent, coordinated and
sustained action. We call upon all Ghanaians, in government, civil society, the Church and every
family, to confront this scourge and protect the dignity and future of our young people. The
Dunkirk seizure, the narcotics intercepted in Ghana, the Tema Port arrests and the parliamentary
scrutiny now sought should strengthen our national resolve. The response must be firm and lawful,
but also preventive, rehabilitative and rooted in respect for human dignity.

We recall the words of Christ: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they
may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). May Ghana choose life over destruction,
integrity over corruption, and the common good over illicit wealth.

MOST REV. MATTHEW KWASI GYAMFI
BISHOP OF SUNYANI AND PRESIDENT,
GHANA CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2026