TIG Post

Tag: Drugs stores

  • NACOC’s cocaine suspects arrest commendable, but it cannot run on ‘charity’ to fight drug

    NACOC’s cocaine suspects arrest commendable, but it cannot run on ‘charity’ to fight drug

    The arrest of three suspects linked to Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers, alias “Bolle Jos”, by the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) following the $260 million cocaine seizure in Dunkirk, France, is a major win for Ghana.

    The press release dated 14th September 2026 and signed by Ag. Director of Public Affairs, PNCO Francis Opoku Amoah, reaffirms NACOC’s resolve that Ghana will not be a safe haven for drug barons. That resolve must be commended.

    But this same arrest exposes a dangerous truth everyone in the country is aware of: NACOC is succeeding in spite of the system, not because of it. How can an agency mandated to stop international cartels operate without tools?

    A Commission Stranded on Logistics:

    Until the current leadership arrived, the Commission’s transportation situation was so bad that it was crippling operations. For eight years, the Commission received only four vehicles. The current administration had to use personal links to secure 27 vehicles to keep operations moving.

    A law enforcement agency fighting well-funded cartels cannot be run on charity and personal contacts. It needs a fully budgeted fleet of operational, surveillance, and armoured vehicles.

    On Port Operations: Where Are the Tools and the Access? This latest cocaine shipment left Ghana in a container of alleged plastic waste. It was detected in France, not Ghana. That should worry every Ghanaian.

    The Begging Questions:

    • At the Tema Port and Takoradi Port, what modern equipment is available for drug detection? Do we have ion scanners, trace detectors, and canine support at scale?
    • Is NACOC granted unfettered access to the scanning room?
    •  Who controls what is seen and what is not seen?
    • Where containers are actually stuffed and loaded – the Inland Container Depots and private warehouses – do we have permanent NACOC officials stationed there?
    • Who has been blocking NACOC from such sensitive places for years?
    • Has NACOC been granted full access to the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) to profile and flag high-risk shipments in real-time?

    If NACOC does not have full, real-time access to ICUMS and the scanning rooms, then we are leaving our gates wide open and only arresting after the drugs have been intercepted in Europe.

    A Call To President Mahama:

    The President and the Minister for Interior must take this Bolle Jos case as a wake-up call. You cannot task NACOC with preventing Ghana from becoming a transit hub while starving it of the tools it needs.

    We call on Government to immediately:

    1. Retool NACOC with state-of-the-art drug detection equipment at all entry points – airports, seaports and land borders.
    2. Grant NACOC mandatory, unimpeded physical presence in all scanning rooms and container loading bays.
    3. Give NACOC full integration and access rights to ICUMS and all port single-window systems.
    4. Provide a dedicated budget for fleet, forensic labs, and intelligence technology, so the Commission does not have to rely on links to function.

    The officers of NACOC have shown professionalism by arresting and taking these three suspects into custody. Imagine what they could do if they were properly tooled.

  • The mafia in drugs industry is less than that in oil sector – Aliko Dangote

    The mafia in drugs industry is less than that in oil sector – Aliko Dangote

    Nigerian industrialist, Aliko Dangote, has shared a pivotal insight gained from his endeavor to establish Africa’s largest refinery.

    After a wait spanning over eight years, the Dangote Refinery has finally been completed, with diesel production already underway.

    Situated at the expansive Lekki Free Zone outside Lagos, Nigeria, the refinery commenced operations in May 2023 and is poised to produce 650,000 barrels per day once fully operational.

    Spanning an area equivalent to 4,000 football fields, this $19 billion investment has encountered significant hurdles.

    Dangote disclosed that a major lesson learned was the existence of a powerful cartel that wields considerable influence over Africa’s oil industry.

    This entrenched cartel, operating for decades, has hindered efforts to establish local refineries and instead favored oil imports into the continent.

    Speaking at the 31st Afreximbank Annual Meetings in the Bahamas, Dangote remarked candidly, “I knew there would be a fight, but I didn’t know that the mafia in the oil industry was stronger than the mafia in the drugs industry.

    “I can tell you this for a fact because I knew they [oil industry mafia] existed, but not as strong as the way I have faced them. They are very strong. There’s a local one, a global one, and it’s all mixed up,” Dangote shared as the crowd burst into laughter.

    Acknowledging the challenges faced, Dangote noted, “all my life, I have been fighting for what I believe, so I think it’s part of my life to fight for things I believe in.”

    Despite these obstacles, Dangote reaffirmed his commitment to the project, stating, “We will win because the population and the government will be on our side because what we are doing is right.”

    Oil cartels, akin to drug cartels in their operational tactics, collaborate among oil-producing nations and companies to exert control over global oil production, pricing, and distribution.

  • London Drugs stores closed for the fifth day in a row

    London Drugs stores closed for the fifth day in a row

    London Drugs stores in Western Canada are still closed today because of a “cybersecurity incident. ” They have been closed for five days in a row.

    Around 10 am, which is later than most stores open, the news was told that the company may give an update later in the day. The company has not said when stores will open again.

    London Drugs suddenly shut down all their stores in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba after finding out about a cyberattack on Sunday.

    On Monday, the phone lines to the stores were not working because of an investigation. They were fixed and working again on Wednesday afternoon. The stores have Canada Post offices inside, which are open and working normally. But some of them are only accepting cash payments.

    On Tuesday, the store said people’s personal information may have been stolen in the incident, which is different from what they said before. They had initially said they didn’t think anyone’s personal data was affected.

    The company will tell people if their personal information was affected once they finish checking, as required by privacy laws.

    “Because we know how much our customers and employees in Western Canada have been affected by the store closures, our top goal is to keep working nonstop to get all the stores up and running again,” said Clint Mahlman, the president of London Drugs, in a statement sent on Tuesday and repeated on Wednesday. “We thank everyone for being patient and supporting us during this tough time. We will give more information when we can. ”

    London Drugs has over 80 stores in Western Canada.