Former Presidential Communications Director Samuel Koku Anyidoho has raised serious concerns about Ghana's security apparatus following the shipment of nearly four tonnes of cocaine out of the country, arguing that a bust of that scale could not happen without high-level cooperation.

To illustrate the gap in security enforcement, Anyidoho shared a recent personal experience from his travel, contrasting routine passenger screening with port monitoring.

"I recently returned from a trip and at the airport a power bank in my bag was promptly beeped and detected," Anyidoho said.

"Smuggling drugs is not easy. And to pick almost 4 tonnes [of cocaine] and the person didn't carry it in a sack but puts it in a container, and leaves. It means that there is a chain. It can't be one person. There is a chain."

Anyidoho called on authorities to pursue those orchestrating the operation rather than smaller operatives, asking for the investigation and arrests of higher-ups "who are behind it" and not just rounding up the "low hanging fruits."

He noted the international repercussions of the incident, pointing out that French authorities have decided not to share intelligence with Ghana over trust issues, calling the situation "an embarrassment to Ghana".

On September 10, 2026, it was announced that French customs authorities seized nearly 3.9 metric tonnes of cocaine, valued at approximately €225 million, at the port of Dunkirk after discovering the narcotics hidden inside a shipping container of plastic waste originating from Ghana. 

Anyidoho also raised questions regarding recent diplomatic and trade policies, specifically targeting agreements signed by the government.

"Then you are signing a free port agreement with Colombia. What is in Colombia or Ghana that must go both ways, and necessitate a free port agreement with Colombia? Tell me. What is it?" Anyidoho asked.  

He also criticized recent visa-free arrangements, questioning why the focus was on "some outlandish countries that Ghanaians are not interested in visiting," and asking: "Is it a case that this whole visa-free thing is for these [drug] barons to go to those countries, acquire the passports of those countries and then enter Ghana to come and have these deals there?"

On March 23, 2026, Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel O. Ablakwa announced that government had "signed a historic agreement to connect the Port of Tema to the Port of Cartagena. The landmark agreement was signed in Bogotá, Colombia after successful negotiations".

Addressing the political dimension of the issue, Anyidoho recalled his time as communication director for John Evans Atta Mills' National Democratic Congress (NDC) campaign team between 2006 and 2008 under President John Kufuor's administration.

He admitted that "as part of the political communication strategy," he came up with the idea to "tag President Kufuor and say he has turned Ghana into a cocaine coast," adding that "it worked."

However, he expressed regret that similar issues are occurring under the current NDC administration, stating, "it hurts me that the party that fought cocaine sometime ago, that under our dispensation, this kind of thing is happening".

Calling for the drug issue to be handled without partisan politics, Anyidoho noted, "It's about Ghana, and that is what comes up anytime international news brings the 3.9 tonnes of cocaine issue up."

He concluded by promising to keep pressing for accountability.  

"When it comes to the governance process, we shall hold their feet to the fire of accountability. They should be ready for it. Apart from the divine justice, here on earth, also, we'll seek justice," he said.