A joint security operation in Ghana’s Upper East Region has led to the seizure of 500 cartons of Tramadol in Widana, a community in the Pusiga District.
Personnel from the Police Intelligence Directorate (PID) and an operational team dubbed “The Black Cobra” carried out the operation at about 4:00 a.m. on Monday, 18 August 2026, following a month-long intelligence gathering exercise.
One suspect, 21-year-old Abdul Ali, a Burkinabe national, was arrested during the operation.
According to the Upper East Regional Police Command, the drugs were retrieved from a privately operated warehouse and some individual homes in the area.
Further intelligence indicates that individuals behind the importation of the illicit drugs are foreign nationals from Mali, Togo, Burkina Faso and Senegal, who use Widana as a transit and distribution centre.
Authorities say investigations are ongoing and efforts are underway to apprehend other persons linked to the operation.
14 suspected Indian hemp cultivators arrested in Nabdam
The seizure follows a separate operation that led to the arrest of 14 people suspected of cultivating and distributing narcotic drugs, specifically Indian hemp, in Nabdam, a district in the region, on Sunday, August 16, 2026.
A search during the operation, carried out by the PID and The Black Cobra Team, led to the discovery of a large quantity of suspected narcotic drugs concealed in sacks of millet and maize at Daliga, a community in the district.
A press release issued on Monday, August 17, 2026, by the Upper East Regional Police Command named the suspects as: Alex Nyaaba, 63; Charles Kolog Dombil, 30; Ziimi Pandam, 45; Jennifer Ziimi, 30; Tobire Naab, 70; James Yinteng, 59; and Sandenab Peelim, 35.
The others include: Abane Zamgbeog, 48; Borimi Nahou, 29; Tobil Wandabil, 27; Gurimi Nabdok, 29; Nahou Dogobila, 41; Teng Gurimi, 26; and Kugeri Gurimi, 20.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspected Indian hemp is cultivated alongside millet and maize to conceal the farms and evade detection,” the release stated.
“The suspects are also believed to be major suppliers of narcotic drugs to several drug peddlers operating across the region,” it added.
The release said the suspects were in police custody and would be put before court for prosecution.
President Mahama observes security improvements in Upper East
The arrests come days after President John Dramani Mahama publicly commended the Inspector-General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, and the police in Upper East and other state security officers for their work in improving security in the region.
He noted that armed robbery and motorbike snatching, which were previously rampant in the area, had declined significantly.
He attributed the drop largely to support from key stakeholders and the Inspector-General of Police’s Special Operations Team.
“Upper East is safer now than it was before,” he said. “A lot of the motorbike snatching, armed robbery and others have significantly reduced. That is because of the work the IGP and his people have been doing,” he added.
The president made the remarks when he addressed a public forum dubbed “Citizens Engagement” on Friday, August 14, 2026, as part of a two-day working visit to the region.
Earlier Armed Robbery Crackdown
On Tuesday, May 5, 2026, the Upper East Regional Police Command also arrested four members of a suspected armed robbery gang during an intelligence-led operation in Gban, a suburb of Talensi District.
They were identified as Amadu Rahman, Abdulai Ibrahim, Adu Yakubu and Amadu Sulemana alias Saaga.According to the police, the gang had terrorised Gban and parts of Upper East and North East regions for years.
They confessed to multiple armed robberies, including hijacking four motorbikes and phones in Gban on May 4, 2026, and a viral raid on Viikandi Investment phone shop in Bolgatanga on March 22, 2025. During interrogation, the suspects admitted to robberies along the Yagaba-Fumbisi and Yagaba-Nanguruma roads, and at Gbane mining sites where gold and cash were stolen.
They later led police to retrieve an AK-47 rifle with serial number 68100563 and 87 rounds of ammunition buried near Biung.
The crackdown has been largely attributed to DCOP John Ferguson Dzineku, who took over as Upper East Regional Police Commander in mid-2025.
According to observers, the commander, who is also a lawyer, has repositioned the police to be more “proactive, fair and firm,” restoring public trust in the region.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org/Ghana/West Africa
