Interior Minister Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka says a senior airport security officer allegedly used a staff entrance to avoid routine screening and hand a bag to someone suspected of drug trafficking.
Speaking to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee on Tuesday, October 20, Mr Muntaka said the officer was not asked to scan the bag because of his senior position within airport security.
“Apparently, he was aiding somebody who was going to trade drugs, so when he went through, then he went and handed it over,” he told the committee.
The minister said the incident exposed gaps in airport screening and prompted authorities to strengthen checks. Police and military canine units will support the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), which Mr Muntaka said does not have enough sniffer dogs to conduct the necessary searches independently.
Under the enhanced arrangements, dogs will be deployed before passengers check in and again before boarding. Mr Muntaka said the additional screening is intended to catch drugs that might evade earlier checks.
“We are deploying canine units before check-in and again before boarding to ensure that, even if someone manages to bypass security through another route, they can still be detected before boarding the aircraft,” he said.
The minister acknowledged that the extra checks could add 15 to 30 minutes to passengers’ journeys, but said the delay was needed to improve security and prevent illicit drugs from being moved through the airport.
Ghana is also pursuing international cooperation on the case. Mr Muntaka said he had requested mutual legal assistance through the Attorney-General, while French authorities had submitted a similar request.
“Just as ours was going, the French had also written, calling for mutual legal assistance,” he said.
He also told the committee that Ghana had signed memoranda of understanding with the Netherlands and the United Kingdom as part of efforts to strengthen cooperation against drug trafficking.
