Nine public officers, including five Customs officers, one officer from the Narcotics Control Commission, one Port Security officer, one Energy Commission officer and one Ghana Standards Authority officer, have been arrested and placed under Police inquiry bail in connection with the interception of a container carrying a massive consignment of undeclared Tramadol at the Tema Port.
A statement by the GRA on Tuesday March 3, 2026, said the arrests followed the seizure by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) of a container loaded with 299 cartons containing 146,932,000 tablets (250mg and 225mg) of undeclared Tramadol Hydrochloride, equivalent to 34,847.2 kilogrammes.
The seizure, according to the GRA, was triggered by intelligence received by the Preventive wing of the Customs Division. Container number TGHU6228715, cleared under Bill of Entry 40226151187, was detained on 26 February 2026 and transferred to a Customs-controlled area in Tema for further examination.
The shipment, which originated from the United Arab Emirates, had been declared as containing household items including water kettles, kitchen blenders, pressing irons, energy-saving bulbs and polypropylene material.
However, a joint re-examination conducted by Customs officers and the Central Revenue Monitoring Team on 1 March 2026 uncovered significant discrepancies. In addition to some of the declared items, officers discovered large quantities of concealed and undeclared Tramadol tablets hidden within the container.
The importer and declarant have been handed over to the Police to assist with ongoing investigations. The seized consignment remains under Customs control as investigations continue.
GRA remains unwavering in its commitment to safeguarding national security, protecting public health and preserving the integrity of Ghana’s revenue and border management systems.
