Reports suggest the suspected mastermind behind the attempted smuggling of over 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine, with an estimated value of $261.45 million, from Ghana to France has been arrested.
According to a report by nltimes.nl, the suspect was identified as a man in Dordrecht whose shipment contained cocaine, which was seized by French customs officers at the port of Dunkirk on Monday, August 31, 2026.
The report disclosed that the Dordrecht man was arrested on Friday, September 4, 2026, and was arraigned before the court on Monday, September 7, 2026.
The information gathered disclosed that the suspect is also accused of being in charge of preparatory work for importing cocaine shipments into the Netherlands earlier in 2026.
“The man was arraigned on Thursday and remanded into custody for another two weeks. He is in restricted custody. That means he is only allowed contact with his lawyers, and the authorities are restricted to sharing only limited information about the investigation,” parts of the report read.
The development follows French customs officials having intercepted nearly 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine, worth about $261 million, in a shipment from Ghana.
According to Reuters news, the shipment was confiscated at the northern French port of Dunkirk on Thursday, September 10, 2026.
The cocaine was concealed in 167 packages inside a container carrying plastic waste from Ghana and destined for Antwerp, Belgium.
The 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine is allegedly linked to the criminal organisation of fugitive Dutch drug trafficker Jos Leijdekkers.
Reports suggest the drugs have since been destroyed, with French prosecutors opening an investigation into the seizure.
According to French authorities, the seizure followed a targeted operation by the judicial police against a criminal network suspected of being behind the shipment, with the investigation focused on offences including the organised importation of narcotics and participation in a criminal association.
The seizure is expected to form part of the broader investigation into the movement of the cocaine from Ghana to France and the criminal network alleged to have organised the shipment.
Meanwhile, Francis Amoah, the Director of Public Affairs and International Relations at the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), has justified its decision not to immediately disclose the identities of suspected drug traffickers.
He argued that premature disclosure could alert other members of an organised network and jeopardise ongoing investigations.
According to Francis Amoah, drug trafficking is a transnational organised crime involving multiple individuals and networks, arguing that investigators need to carefully determine when information about suspects should be made public.
Francis Amoah was responding to calls for NACOC to adopt a “name and shame” approach amid a series of high-profile cocaine seizures linked to Ghana.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Monday, September 14, 2026, Francis Amoah explained, “If you get a suspect just yesterday and you bring the suspect’s picture, you mention his or her name, what you are literally doing is that you’re shooting your own leg at the foot because what you’re telling other people who may be involved is that the suspect has been arrested”.
“And therefore, if you are linked or connected with the suspect in any way, you can run away. You can run,” he said.
He highlighted that investigators assess what information can safely be released without compromising intelligence gathered or allowing other suspects to evade arrest.
“You evaluate, and you see what information is appropriate for us as a commission to let the Ghanaian people know. And if you let the Ghanaian people know this, is it going to affect the investigations in any way?” he said.
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