Drugs seized by the Customs in Beirut's International Airport on Oct. 30, 2026. (Credit: Lebanese Customs)

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has rejected suggestions that its controlled delivery operation involving a 40-kilogramme cocaine shipment from Ghana to Lebanon was unsuccessful.

The Commission's Deputy Director-General in charge of Enforcement, Control and Elimination insists that the arrest of the suspect at Beirut International Airport was consistent with established procedures.

Alexander Twum-Barima explained that the operation was not expected to allow the suspect to leave the airport before being apprehended.

Speaking on JoyFM’s Top Story on Monday, November 2, he explained that the immediate arrest of a courier could help investigators trace other individuals connected to a drug consignment.

He was responding to concerns that Lebanese authorities arrested the Syrian national immediately after he arrived at the Rafic Hariri International Airport, rather than allowing him to proceed to a location where other alleged accomplices could be identified and arrested.

Read also: Syrian arrested at Beirut Airport with 40kg suspected cocaine shipment from Ghana – NACOC confirms

Mr Twum-Barima dismissed that approach, explaining that investigators did not need to allow couriers to leave an airport before acting on intelligence gathered during an operation.

“We never allowed them to go out of the airport and go and chase them outside. It's not done. You put them there, and right from there, his links and information will lead you to the people,” he said.

He added that information obtained from the arrested suspect, together with intelligence shared by other security agencies, could help investigators establish links to other people involved in the operation.

“Most of these couriers that you see, they don't even know the actual owner of the goods. I'm telling you on authority,” he said.

Mr Twum-Barima cited a case involving a British national who is currently in remand custody in Ghana after allegedly arriving from Thailand with drugs.

He said Thai authorities had intelligence that the suspect was travelling with narcotics but did not arrest him before his arrival in Ghana.

According to him, intelligence shared with NACOC enabled the Commission to arrest the suspect and identify two other accomplices.

Mr Twum-Barima also addressed discrepancies in the quantity of suspected cocaine seized in the Lebanon operation.

While NACOC reported approximately 40 kilogrammes, Lebanese security agencies put the quantity at 46.7 kilogrammes.

“If I'm telling you something is about 40, and someone is saying 47, are we not around the same thing? What's the difference? The difference is saying 47, and I'm saying around 40,” he said.

He further highlighted efforts to strengthen cooperation between Ghana and Lebanon in tackling international drug trafficking.

He disclosed that Lebanese authorities visited Ghana in February 2026 to engage NACOC and discuss the signing of a memorandum of understanding to improve cooperation and intelligence-sharing.

He noted that the engagement followed previous cocaine seizures linked to Ghana in Lebanon in July 2024, February 2024 and 2021, when 8.9 kilogrammes were seized.

Mr Twum-Barima said the Lebanese authorities had sought stronger collaboration with Ghana following concerns about the level of cooperation in previous cases.

"They wanted to come and have this MoU sign with us and build some understanding and cooperation so that in the future, after that February, we can be working together well on subsequent cases where we need to share intelligence, we share intelligence.

"And I can tell you that from the night or the dawn of early Saturday night until Sunday, till this evening as I'm talking to you, the Lebanese authorities have been in touch with us too much. They have been in touch with us, sharing information upon information,” he said.

The Syrian national was arrested at Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport after allegedly attempting to transport the suspected cocaine shipment from Ghana.

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NACOC defends Lebanon cocaine arrest, says operation was successful

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