Ghana’s reduced cocaine seizures and declining media coverage of the drug trade may not necessarily indicate a reduction in trafficking activity, the 2025 Global Organised Crime Index has warned.
The report suggests that the lower visibility of the cocaine trade could instead be linked to alleged protection of illicit markets by politically connected actors.
The assessment, however, presents this as concerns raised by law enforcement officials and civil society stakeholders rather than an independently established finding of government involvement.
“As cocaine seizures have declined and media coverage has decreased, law enforcement officials and civil society stakeholders suggest that political protection being given to illicit markets, particularly the cocaine trade, by sections of the government is the main reason for a drop in visible trafficking,” the report states.
The report also identifies Ghanaian criminal networks as significant participants in the international cocaine trade, placing the country within wider trafficking routes linking South America, Europe and West Africa.
According to the assessment, Brazil remains a major source of cocaine entering Ghana by sea, with traffickers allegedly concealing consignments in commercial cargo before routing them through intermediary destinations.
The report identifies Spain and Turkey among trans-shipment points used before shipments reach Ghanaian ports, particularly Tema, with Takoradi also identified as a destination.
The findings come amid renewed attention to Ghana’s role in international drug trafficking and the effectiveness of efforts to intercept cocaine shipments.
The 2025 index gives Ghana a 6.50 score for the cocaine trade, while criminal networks operating in the country receive a score of 7.00. State-embedded actors receive a score of 7.50, reflecting the index’s assessment of their influence across organised criminal markets.
The report also raises concerns about the declining visibility of investigative reporting on organised crime, particularly cocaine trafficking. It says media coverage has become more limited in recent years, with threats against journalists cited as one factor affecting reporting on sensitive subjects such as drugs, political vigilantism and corruption.
Taken together, the findings suggest that seizure figures and media reports alone may not provide a complete picture of the scale of Ghana’s cocaine trade.
The report places Ghana within a broader international trafficking system in which South American suppliers, intermediary countries, West African ports and Ghanaian criminal networks are connected.
It therefore highlights the need for continued scrutiny of Ghana’s ports, international supply routes, law-enforcement capacity and the potential role of corruption or political influence in facilitating organised crime.
