The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has appealed to Parliament to urgently facilitate its needs in the areas of adequate infrastructure and logistics to effectively execute its mandate of combating drug trafficking and substance abuse in the country.

The Director-General of NACOC, Brigadier -General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, expressed concern over the growing complexity of drug-related crimes in the country and the sub-region, warning that the commission's efforts were being severely hampered by outdated equipment, inadequate office space and a critical shortage of operational vehicles and surveillance tools.

“NACOC has suffered some relegation to the background of Ghana’s security and intelligence operations.

But the truth is nobody can play with what we do. Drugs are dangerous, even more so than armed robbery because you don’t see it and If we don’t do something, they’ll take over,” he said. 

Brig. Gen. Mantey made the appeal during a working visit by the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defence and Interior to the Commission's headquarters in Accra yesterday.

Presentation

As part of the visit, the commission delivered a detailed presentation that laid bare the severe operational and logistical challenges it currently faced.  

It revealed NACOC’s dire infrastructural state, citing congestion at its headquarters, inadequate cells for holding suspects and a lack of proper office accommodation in many regions and districts — some of which operated from kiosks, containers or even under trees.

Staff strength currently stands at 1,397 personnel, which the Commission says is woefully inadequate to match the demands of its growing mandate.

Logistics

The logistics situation was similarly troubling, with only 67 operational vehicles — most of them over 10 years old — and critical equipment such as itemisers, test kits and communication tools either broken down, inadequate or entirely absent.

It also revealed that at the airport key scanners used for baggage and drug detection had broken down, forcing officers to rely on urine tests as a last resort.

The D-G of NACOC also decried its exclusion from national systems such as the Personal Identification Secure Comparison and Evaluation System (PISCES)  and Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) as well as a worrying lack of inter-agency information sharing.  

NACOC appealed for urgent government action, including reclassifying its premises as a security zone, acquiring adjacent lands and passing pending fees for the cannabis programme.

Still motivated

Despite the resource constraints, Brigadier General Mantey said its staff remained motivated and committed to their duties.

He recalled some complaints from other agencies stemming from how too enthusiastic NACOC personnel were in the execution of their mandate to protect the country.

“Nacoc is ranked possibly lowest among the security services but we should be the most recognised and empowered.

Illicit drugs and drug abuse is a national emergency.

If you look at the coast, they can land anywhere and bring it in.

We patrol all the borders and if we equip our staff, they can do more.

We’ll need your assistance, guidance and review of various laws, and I can assure you that NACOC will not compromise its integrity,” he said. 

Assurance

The Chairperson of the committee and Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa North, James Agalga, assured the commission that the committee would act swiftly on the pressing challenges brought to its attention.

He described NACOC’s exclusion from vital security platforms like PISCES and ICUMS as unacceptable, and pledged to confront the National Security Coordinator with these concerns.

Citing a 2020 incident at the Aflao border involving NACOC and Customs, he stressed the need for improved inter-agency harmonisation.

He also questioned why NACOC staff still lacked Cap 30 benefits, promising to push for necessary legal amendments to rectify the disparities in service conditions.