The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) has told the government that the growing perception of Ghana as a drugs trafficking transit point is bringing disgrace to the nation and eroding Ghana's hard-won international reputation.

In a strongly-worded press statement issued on Monday, September 21, 2026, the Bishops warned that the country's name is being "dragged through the international press for the wrong reasons," following a string of drug seizures allegedly linked to Ghanaian ports and borders.

The immediate trigger was the 10th September, 2026 interception by French customs of 3.9 tonnes of cocaine worth £225 million, concealed in a container of plastic waste shipped from Ghana.

Four Ghanaians have been arraigned before the Accra High Court, with Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers, alias Bolle Jos still at large.

The Bishops said while they respect that the accused are presumed innocent, the sheer scale "places Ghana in the global spotlight for the wrong reason and causes profound national embarrassment."

The Conference said the interception by French authorities at Dunkirk is not an isolated incident, and quoting a memorandum filed by over 40 MPs to recall Parliament, the Bishops listed a damning trail:

- 3.3 tonnes of cocaine hidden under sand in a tipper truck at Pedu Junction, Cape Coast

- A second major cocaine bust on the Takoradi-Cape Coast highway

- Hundreds of parcels of cocaine hidden in sacks of gari at Tema Harbour

- A suspicious flight from Gran Canaria allegedly carrying narcotics and cash

- Methamphetamine hidden in charcoal and caught in Australia

- A vessel released in Ghana after a partial fine, later arrested abroad with drugs

"How did such quantities evade detection at our ports and borders? Who financed these operations? Why do prosecutions stall?" the Bishops asked.

The GCBC said the disgrace is compounded by evidence of complicity within the state itself.

They cited the March 2026 arrest of nine public officers at Tema Port over undeclared tramadol, including five customs officers and officers from NACOC, Port Security, the Energy Commission and Ghana Standards Authority.

They also questioned why, more than a year after the 3.3-tonne Pedu Junction seizure, "only the driver, a housemaid and a few peripheral suspects have been arraigned while financiers remain unknown."

"This creates the perception, damaging to Ghana, that while small actors are sacrificed, big actors are protected," the Bishops said.

Direct message to government

The Bishops said commendations for NACOC's 217 arrests, 165 prosecutions and seizure of 8.5 tonnes of drugs and 45.4 million tramadol tablets are not enough, adding that they want the government to treat it as an existential threat, and demanded the following:

1.  Treat every seizure as a national security failure - audit scanning and surveillance at Tema, Takoradi and Kotoka.

2.  Investigate and prosecute without fear or favour - including public officials, no matter their rank or party.

3.  Follow the money - freeze assets and dismantle networks, not just arrest couriers.

4.  Stop the delay tactics - timely, transparent prosecution that restores public confidence.

They also threw their weight behind the MPs' call to recall Parliament under Article 112(3) to summon the Ministers for Interior, Transport and National Security, plus NACOC, GPHA, GRA, GIS and NIB, to publicly account for how drugs are slipping through.

"The drug trade is not just a crime, it is a moral evil that steals the soul of our nation," the statement signed by Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, said.