NACOC boss calls for practical cross-border action against drug trafficking

The Director-General of the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC), Major-General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, has called for stronger and more practical cross-border cooperation among African countries to tackle the growing threat of synthetic drugs, cocaine trafficking and transnational organised crime.

He said the changing nature of the illicit drug trade required African countries to move beyond fragmented national responses and strengthen intelligence sharing, coordinated investigations and joint operations.

Major-General Mantey made the call in Ghana’s statement delivered at the closing of the 33rd Meeting of Heads of National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies, Africa (HONLEA Africa), held in Vienna, Austria, from September 8 to 11, 2026.

The meeting brought together heads and representatives of African drug law enforcement agencies to strengthen regional and subregional cooperation in addressing the world drug problem.

Major-General Mantey stressed that no country, regardless of the strength of its law enforcement and border security systems, could effectively combat transnational drug trafficking alone.

He said trafficking networks operate across multiple jurisdictions, with synthetic drug precursors, cocaine and illicit financial flows moving through different countries while exploiting gaps in national enforcement systems.

“Cooperation is therefore not a diplomatic courtesy to be affirmed in closing statements; it is the operational prerequisite for any of our national strategies to be successful,” he said.

The NACOC Director-General advocated a “neighbour-to-neighbour” approach as a practical starting point for deeper regional cooperation.

He called for increased intelligence sharing, joint patrols and coordinated border management among neighbouring countries to disrupt trafficking networks.

Major-General Mantey cited Ghana’s bilateral cooperation with neighbouring countries, as well as collaboration between The Gambia and Senegal, as examples of how direct cooperation between neighbouring states could provide a foundation for broader regional and continental efforts.

He also referred to a high-level dialogue hosted in Accra in November 2025 on “Mapping the Future of Drug Markets in West Africa – Synthetics, Cocaine, Criminal Money, and Strategic Responses.”

According to him, the discussions at the Accra dialogue remain relevant, particularly the growing impact of synthetic drugs on young people and the potential of organised crime and illicit financial flows to undermine governance and state institutions.

Major-General Mantey urged African countries to make their cooperation practical, timely and operational, allowing intelligence obtained in one jurisdiction to support investigations and enforcement action in another.

He called for stronger mechanisms for intelligence sharing, coordinated investigations, joint patrols and border management to identify and disrupt trafficking networks operating across national boundaries.

He reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to strengthening bilateral and regional partnerships and supporting the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and other member states in rebuilding and reinforcing cooperation against the illicit drug trade.

Major-General Mantey cautioned that the threats discussed at the meeting would not disappear with the conclusion of the HONLEA Africa meeting.

He therefore urged participating countries to translate their commitments into concrete action.

“We look forward to reporting at the Thirty-fourth Meeting on progress, not promises,” he said.

The meeting was chaired by Ghana’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to Vienna, Her Excellency Matilda Alomatu Osei-Agyeman.

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