Deputy Majority Leader Kweku Ricketts-Hagan has said the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) government were fighting 21st Century drug lords with 1970s techology.
According to Ricketts-Hagan, the former NPP government was fighting drug-related cases with outdate technology.
Addressing the press on Thursday, September 24, the Majority made this known to Ghanaians.
Also, the Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for Builsa North, James Agalga has said the sharp increase in recent narcotics arrests and seizures is due to strategic measures introduced by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) and other security agencies under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.
James Agalga disclosed that NACOC recorded a significant rise in enforcement activities in 2025 compared with the previous year.
The Majority leader revealed that NACOC recorded 73 arrests nationwide in 2024, which was its highest annual enforcement figure at the time adding that the the number increased to 217 arrests across 165 cases in 2025.
According to him, the 197% increase reflected stronger enforcement operations, improved inter-agency collaboration.
The majority leader also disclosed that narcotics seizures also increased in 2025, with 1,497.75 kilogrammes of narcotic substances seized at an estimated street value of US$5.24 million.
He further revealed that asset-based enforcement operations resulted in the seizure of GH¢6.93 million and US$440,382 in cash, as well as 19.72 kilogrammes of gold allegedly linked to suspected drug-money laundering.
James Agalga added that NACOC had increased its District Commands from fewer than 10 to 77, extending the Commission’s presence to all 16 regions.
The Majority leader stated, “In 2024, the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) recorded 73 arrests nationwide. Then the Commission’s most productive enforcement year on record under this government. NACOC enforcement operations in 2025 produced 217 arrests across 165 cases, an increase of 197 percent.
So let’s compare the figures, 73 arrests versus 217 arrests across 165 cases. And in percentage terms, we are looking at a 197 percent increase between the arrests effected in 2024 and the arrests effected in 2025.”
He stated, “The 2025 performance was due to the concrete institutional changes this government has put in place”.
The Majority in Parliament also revealed that President John Dramani Mahama has approved the recruitment of 1,200 additional staff for NACOC to strengthen its capacity to combat drug trafficking.
The Majority Leader stated, “This government has more than doubled NACOC’s staff, training 495 new officers in 2025 alone, the largest number of officers to ever graduate from NACOC. This isn’t just a number. It’s the difference between an agency that can respond and an agency that can be there in communities at borders along the path traffickers go to exploit. This government has taken it a step further”.
“His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama’s government has approved the recruitment of another 1200 staff for NACOC, a bold and consistent move that will go a long way to fill the deficit in the Commission’s staffing,” he said.
Watch the video below:
@ghnow_ Majority MP George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan has criticised the previous NPP administration’s approach to combating drug-related cases, saying it relied on outdated technology to tackle modern narcotics challenges. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ The Mahama administration has added 25 vehicles to the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) as part of efforts to strengthen its operations and retool the agency in the fight against illicit drug trafficking. The government has also restored NACOC’s involvement in port inspections. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
