Don’t take drug trafficking allegations lightly; we’re fighting Red 225 – Tutu-Boahene tells Mahama

Political Strategist, Dr. Bernard Tutu-Boahene has urged President Mahama to treat allegations of drug trafficking at KIA with all seriousness it deserves.

MP for Assin South, Rev John Ntim Fordjour had alleged that cargo carried by two aircraft—AirMed Flight N823AM and Cavok Air Antonov An-12B—suspected to have transported cocaine and cash landed into the country.

The MP’s claim sparked widespread attention with many questioning the veracity of his claims.

Following his allegations, President Mahama directed the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to investigate the allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering by the MP.

Speaking in an interview on TV3 New Day’s Hot Issues, Monday, April 7, 2025. Dr. Tutu-Boahene noted that such allegations of drug trafficking in Ghana posits a bad reputation for the country which is likely to impact foreign investment.

He cautioned that at the time the country is combating drug abuse and the notorious Red 225 drug substance, the allegations must not be taken lightly.

“I would probably want to encourage the President to take this matter seriously especially when we are fighting Red 225. If you are fighting Red 225 and we don’t want Ghana to be a hub of drug trafficking, then I think that we need to put more effort and energy into this fight.

“I don’t want this issue to sound political even if it is coming from a political direction. We need to as it were tackle this as a national issue.

“We want to see a Ghana that is credible such that when you are talking about FDI, we are getting it. These things will come when Ghana’s image remains intact…drugs cannot help the future of this country and therefore we cannot live by that labelling of Ghana as a drug peddling Hub,” he stated.

Dr. Tutu-Boahene is not enthused about the manner in which the Asssin South MP made the claim.

He suggested that a more formal approach such as an official writing to the President or the Speaker of Parliament would have been the best approach considering the gravity of the issue.

“We need to be careful with certain communications and the way we channel it. Instead of putting this in public space, if he had put it into writing, given it to the Presidency and Head of Parliament to have a discussion on this issue, I think it would have been better,” he said.

However, government has since denied the claims, providing technical explanations and video evidence of the circumstances under which the aircraft landed in the country and departed.