Suspected drug traffickers are buying their own scanners to test whether hidden narcotics will show up before they attempt to pass through Ghana’s airport, the Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Major General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, has told Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Appearing before the committee on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the NACOC boss said the Commission is investigating a case in which a trafficker had bought his own scanner to see whether drugs would be detected.
He also told MPs that some airport security personnel are allegedly using their positions to help drugs bypass screening, describing traffickers as people who “see weaknesses in our system.”
Interior Minister Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka, who appeared alongside NACOC leadership, said sniffer dogs from the police and military are now supporting NACOC, with checks being carried out before check-in and again before boarding.
NACOC says drug traffickers are buying their own scanners
According to Maj Gen Mantey, traffickers are using increasingly sophisticated methods to avoid detection at the airport.
Besides acquiring scanners to pre-test concealed drugs, he said traffickers mix narcotics with substances meant to mislead sniffer dogs, forcing agencies to keep updating their detection methods.
“Their returns are huge and so they will do anything,” he told the committee. “It is so complex that if you blink for a second, you are in trouble.”
Airport security supervisor allegedly bypassed screening
The NACOC Director-General pointed to an incident involving a supervisory airport security officer who allegedly walked past a screening point with a bag.
The officer is said to have gone to a washroom, where the bag was swapped with one used by a traveller, who then proceeded towards a flight.
Mantey said junior officers find it difficult to challenge their supervisors in such situations. Minister Muntaka separately told the committee that the senior officer was not checked because of his rank, and that he was “aiding somebody who was going to trade drugs.”
The reports did not say whether the officer has been suspended, arrested or charged.
Sniffer dogs added before check-in and boarding
The Interior Minister said NACOC does not have enough dogs of its own, so canine units from the Ghana Police Service and the military are supporting the Commission.
“We are deploying canine units before check-in and again before boarding,” Muntaka said, explaining that drugs which slip past earlier checks can still be picked up.
He acknowledged the extra checks could add 15 to 30 minutes to passengers’ journeys. GhanaTrends earlier reported that Accra airport passengers were told to arrive three hours early as NACOC started sniffer-dog pre-screening.
Key NACOC and Interior Ministry claims at a glance
- Own scanners: Traffickers buying scanners to test whether drugs will be detected; one case under investigation
- Masking substances: Drugs mixed with substances to confuse sniffer dogs
- Insider help: A supervisory security officer allegedly bypassed screening with a bag later swapped with a traveller’s
- Canine checks: Two stages — before check-in and before boarding
- Extra waiting time: 15 to 30 minutes added for passengers
NACOC admits it lacks infrastructure to match traffickers
Maj Gen Mantey told the PAC that while traffickers are motivated by gaps in the system, NACOC officers “are demotivated because we don’t have the requisite infrastructure to fight them.”
He also acknowledged that pay and conditions of service for personnel are unsatisfactory, and said officers face pressure from offers made to them, which requires a disciplined and well-trained mindset to resist.
The Commission shares intelligence with French, European and American counterparts, he added.
International cooperation on the drug fight
Minister Muntaka said Ghana requested mutual legal assistance through the Attorney-General the day after the airport incident, and that French authorities had submitted a similar request.
He added that Ghana has signed memoranda of understanding with the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and said the government is working to expand the use of technology and intelligence-sharing among security agencies to reduce reliance on manual inspections.
The appearance formed part of the PAC’s hearings on findings in the Auditor-General’s report. Proceedings of the committee are published by the Parliament of Ghana.
What it means for air travellers
Passengers flying out of Ghana should expect more checks, including dog searches at two points before departure.
With the minister estimating 15 to 30 minutes of extra time, travellers may need to allow more time for screening.
What happens next
NACOC says its investigation into the trafficker who bought a scanner is ongoing. The government says it will continue to expand technology and intelligence-sharing at the airport.
Further details on any disciplinary action against the security officer involved, and the outcome of the legal assistance requests, are yet to be made public.
News story at a glance
- Who: NACOC Director-General Maj Gen Maxwell Obuba Mantey and Interior Minister Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka
- Where: Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee
- When: Tuesday, October 20, 2026
- Claim: Traffickers buying their own scanners to test concealed drugs
- Insider case: Supervisory airport security officer allegedly bypassed screening
- Response: Police and military sniffer dogs deployed before check-in and boarding
- Passenger impact: 15 to 30 minutes of additional screening time
FAQs
What did the NACOC boss tell Parliament about scanners?
Maj Gen Maxwell Obuba Mantey said drug traffickers are buying their own scanners to check whether hidden drugs will be detected, and NACOC is investigating one such case.
Why are there sniffer dogs at Ghana’s airport?
Police and military canine units are supporting NACOC to search passengers before check-in and again before boarding, to catch drugs that slip past earlier checks.
How long do the new airport drug checks take?
Interior Minister Muntaka said the extra checks could add 15 to 30 minutes to a passenger’s journey.
In summary, NACOC has told Parliament that drug traffickers are testing their concealment methods on their own scanners and exploiting insiders at the airport, while the Interior Ministry is responding with two-stage sniffer-dog checks, international legal cooperation and more technology at the country’s main departure point.
