Eight Nigerians, 66 others arrested in Ghana anti-narcotics and crime suppression operations

The Inspector-General of Police’s Special Operations Team has arrested 74 suspects, including Nigerians, in two separate intelligence-led operations targeting narcotics trafficking and other criminal activities in the Upper East Region, Ghana. 

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The operations, carried out in Paga and the Navrongo Municipality, form part of ongoing efforts by the Ghana Police Service to clamp down on violent crime and drug-related offences along border and inland communities.

In the first operation on May 20, 2026, the Special Operations Team conducted a coordinated raid at Paga within the Ghana–Burkina Faso border buffer zone, leading to the arrest of 40 suspects, comprising 28 males and 12 females.

Police said the suspects included 23 Ghanaians, eight Nigerians, six Burkinabés, one Malian, and one Togolese national.

Exhibits retrieved included parcels and sacks of suspected narcotic substances, as well as five motorbikes believed to have been used for distribution activities.

A second intelligence-led swoop was carried out on May 22, 2026, at identified criminal hotspots within the Navrongo Municipality, including the Condemned Road Corridor, “After Six” Spot and “Lighter Inn” Spot.

That operation resulted in the arrest of 34 additional suspects, comprising 32 males and two females.

Police also retrieved 11 motorbikes, quantities of suspected narcotic substances and assorted foreign cigarettes.

The suspects were subsequently arraigned before High Court Two on the same day, presided over by Justice Ernest Pascal Gemadzie.

According to police, 16 suspects were remanded into police custody and are expected to reappear before the court on June 4, 2026, while the remaining 22 suspects are being profiled for further action.

The Police Service said all suspects remain in custody assisting investigations, as security agencies continue efforts to identify and arrest other individuals linked to criminal activities in the affected.