Nine public officers have been arrested and granted Police enquiry bail following the interception of a container loaded with a large quantity of undeclared Tramadol at the Tema Port.

Those arrested include five Customs officers, one officer from the Narcotics Control Commission, one Port Security officer, one Energy Commission officer and one Standards Authority officer.

The arrests come after the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) seized a container containing 299 cartons of Tramadol Hydrochloride, 146,932,000 tablets in 250mg and 225mg strengths.

The total weight of the consignment is estimated at 34,847.2 kilogrammes.

The drugs had not been declared in the import documentation.

According to officials, the seizure followed intelligence gathered by the Preventive wing of the Customs Division.

The container, numbered TGHU6228715 and cleared under Bill of Entry 40226151187, was detained on February 26, 2026 and moved to a Customs-controlled area in Tema for detailed examination.

The shipment originated from the United Arab Emirates and was declared to contain assorted household items, including water kettles, kitchen blenders, pressing irons, energy-saving bulbs, and polypropylene material.

However, a joint re-examination conducted on March 1, 2026, by Customs officers and the Central Revenue Monitoring Team revealed concealed quantities of Tramadol tablets hidden among the declared goods.

The importer and declarant have since been handed over to the Police to assist with ongoing investigations, while the seized consignment remains under Customs control.

The GRA reaffirmed its commitment to protecting national security, safeguarding public health and maintaining the integrity of Ghana’s revenue and border management systems.