The Inspector-General of Police’s Special Operations Team has arrested 74 suspects in two separate intelligence-led operations targeting narcotics peddling, violent crime, and other criminal activities in the Upper East Region.
The operations, conducted between May 20 and May 22, 2026, formed part of ongoing efforts by the Ghana Police Service to clamp down on criminal networks operating within the region and along the Ghana–Burkina Faso border corridor.
According to the police in a statement, the first operation was carried out on May 20, 2026, at Paga within the Ghana–Burkina Faso border buffer zone. The coordinated exercise led to the arrest of 40 suspects, comprising 28 males and 12 females.
The suspects include 23 Ghanaians, eight Nigerians, six Burkinabés, one Malian, and one Togolese national.
Police retrieved several exhibits during the operation, including parcels and sacks of suspected narcotic substances as well as five motorbikes believed to have been used in the distribution of the substances.
In a second operation conducted on May 22, 2026, the Special Operations Team swooped on identified criminal hotspots within the Navrongo Municipality, including the Condemned Road Corridor, “After Six” Spot, and “Lighter Inn” Spot.
That operation resulted in the arrest of 34 suspects, made up of 32 males and two females.
Police also recovered 11 motorbikes, quantities of suspected narcotic substances, and assorted foreign cigarettes.
The suspects were subsequently arraigned on the same day, presided over by His Lordship Justice Ernest Pascal Gemadzie.
Sixteen of the suspects were remanded into Police custody and are expected to reappear before the court on June 4, 2026, while the remaining 22 suspects are currently being profiled for further action.
Police say all the suspects remain in custody assisting with investigations as efforts continue to identify and arrest other individuals linked to criminal activities within the affected areas.
The Ghana Police Service has reiterated its commitment to intensifying intelligence-led operations aimed at combating organized crime, drug trafficking, and related offences across the country.
By Castro Senyalah
