The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, has warned that global drug trafficking networks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, exploiting technology and cyberspace to expand their illicit operations across borders.

Delivering the opening remarks at the Africa–South Asia Inter-Regional Workshop on Strengthening Cooperation Against New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, currently underway at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel in Accra, Major General Mantey said criminal organisations are taking advantage of vulnerabilities within countries to strengthen their operations.

“Ghana is experiencing a trend where these criminal networks are using cyberspace to trade in narcotics,” he stated, stressing the urgent need for stronger regional and international cooperation to counter the evolving threat.

He urged participating countries to deepen collaboration through the timely exchange of intelligence, best practices, and coordinated enforcement efforts to dismantle transnational drug trafficking networks operating across Africa and South Asia.

The Ghana Law Enforcement Advisor for the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), Mr. Chip Duncan, also warned that “the world is facing a drug threat that is moving faster than ever before,” adding that “traditionally, we dealt with plant-based drugs that followed predictable patterns. Today, we face a synthetic revolution.”

“Over 1,200 New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) have been identified globally. These are chemicals designed to mimic illegal drugs while evading current laws,” Mr. Duncan noted.

He further revealed that West Africa is already the world's largest market for diverted tramadol, with more than 180 tonnes seized annually. More alarming, he said, is the recent detection of nitazenes, a synthetic opioid that can be up to 40 times more potent than heroin.

“These substances don't just fuel crime; they kill your citizens and devastate your communities,” he stressed.

Mr. Duncan further explained that criminal networks are highly organised and technologically advanced, using maritime and air corridors to connect South Asia, particularly India and Sri Lanka, with East and West Africa. According to him, this has created a global trafficking chain that exploits weak points, limited laboratory capacity, outdated legislation, and porous borders.

The four-day workshop has brought together experts and law enforcement agencies from across Africa and South Asia to strengthen partnerships, enhance real-time intelligence sharing, and exchange experiences in tackling the growing threat posed by New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) and synthetic opioids.

The workshop is sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and is being facilitated in collaboration with the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), and Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).