A Fellow in Public Health at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD), Dr. Kwame Sarpong Asiedu, has called on the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority to provide answers on how illegal opioids entered the country.

Speaking on Newsfile on JoyNews on Saturday, 1st March, Dr. Asiedu described the situation as alarming, following the BBC exposé on the influx of dangerous opioids.

He pointed out that the seizure of the drugs by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) confirms that they entered the country through Ghana’s ports. However, he noted that it was the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) that acted on intelligence to intercept them.

“The products being seized by the FDA means they got through our ports. It was NACOC that had intel which led to the seizure. So that is complete confirmation that these drugs are entering through our ports, and that is scary,” he stated.

Dr. Asiedu emphasised that Customs, as the custodians of the country’s entry points, including Tema, Takoradi, and Kotoka International Airport, must be held accountable. He explained that medicines are regulated products, meaning both the FDA and NACOC should be informed before clearance.

“If these containers got out of our ports without the knowledge of NACOC and the FDA, it means there is some level of complicity from Customs because the drugs did not go through the right channel,” he said.

He further raised concerns about weak collaboration between agencies responsible for securing the country’s drug supply chain.

“What this tells me is that there is a serious leak at our ports when it comes to medicine entry. There are serious questions to be answered about why Customs is not bringing the FDA and NACOC in to supervise the clearance of these products and why they are going through the wrong route,” he added.