Ablakwa reveals New Details in Airport Cocaine Smuggling Scandal

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, has unveiled fresh revelations concerning the cocaine smuggling scandal at Kotoka International Airport.

According to Ablakwa, he came across a letter indicating that key suspects in the scandal, who have been placed on interdiction, will continue to receive two-thirds of their salaries during the ongoing investigations.

Moreover, the letter suggests that the government faces challenges in recovering the salaries of those potentially found guilty of the charges.

Expressing his dismay, Ablakwa condemned the actions of the airport personnel, stressing that such behavior not only damages the country’s international reputation but also poses future consequences for the nation.

“My outrage is also premised on the fact that whereas the state can refund salaries to interdicted suspects who may be acquitted, it is virtually impossible for the state to retrieve these salaries from those found complicit…,” he stated on his social media platform.

The MP called on the government to implement stringent measures to combat drug smuggling, which has become a pressing issue for the nation.

“Ghana must immediately embrace a stringent, unyielding stance in the battle against drug smuggling, a fight we are embarrassingly losing lately with severe international consequences.

“We need to start a new chapter at our airports where every official, from the board and management to staff and other operatives, understands that there is a steep price for such actions — not this system of staying home and receiving two-thirds of a salary without working,” he emphasized.

The scandal at Kotoka International Airport came to light following the arrest of a Dutch national, Proeger Delgey Bianca, at Brussels Airport with 8.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine allegedly transported through KIA on a Royal Air Maroc flight.

In response, the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) initiated investigations and interdicted all staff implicated in the case, as confirmed in a statement dated April 10.