The Inspector-General of Police’s Special Operations Team has arrested 74 suspects, including Nigerians, in two separate intelligence-led operations targeting narcotics trafficking and other criminal activities in the Upper East Region of Ghana.
The operations, carried out in Paga and the Navrongo Municipality, form part of ongoing efforts by the Ghana Police Service to clamp down on violent crime and drug-related offences in border and inland communities.
In the first operation, conducted on May 20, 2026, the Special Operations Team carried out a coordinated raid in Paga, within the Ghana–Burkina Faso border buffer zone, leading to the arrest of 40 suspects comprising 28 males and 12 females.
Police said the suspects included 23 Ghanaians, eight Nigerians, six Burkinabés, one Malian and one Togolese national.
Items recovered during the operation included parcels and sacks of suspected narcotic substances, as well as five motorbikes believed to have been used for distribution activities.
A second intelligence-led operation was carried out on May 22, 2026, at identified criminal hotspots within the Navrongo Municipality, including the Condemned Road Corridor, “After Six” Spot and “Lighter Inn” Spot. The operation led to the arrest of 34 additional suspects, comprising 32 males and two females.
Police also recovered 11 motorbikes, quantities of suspected narcotic substances and assorted foreign cigarettes.
The suspects were subsequently arraigned before High Court Two on the same day, presided over by Justice Ernest Pascal Gemadzie.
According to police, 16 suspects were remanded in police custody and are expected to reappear before the court on June 4, 2026, while the remaining 22 suspects are being profiled for further action.
The Ghana Police Service said all the suspects remain in custody and are assisting with investigations as security agencies continue efforts to identify and arrest other individuals linked to criminal activities in the affected areas.
