The Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) Office in Takoradi, has made significant strides in the flight against illicit drugs since the Western Region office was set up in September last year.

From January this year, the board coordinated several raids and arrests including unraveling of the mystery surrounding the disappearance of some bags of sugar suspected to be cocaine at the Takoradi Harbour.

The Regional Head of NACOB, Mr Roger Vanderpuije, who disclosed this said the organisation also retrieved a container of frozen products from the Takoradi Port also suspected to be laced with cocaine.
 
He said NACOB also examined a broken down helicopter which was suspected of being used to smuggle narcotic drugs to the United Kingdom.
 
Mr Vanderpuije did not give details but added that "together with the various agencies involved in the drug fight, NACOB has stepped up surveillance on the various hot spots in the region and also arrested some key players in the drug supply chain.
 
NACOB is currently gathering a lot of intelligence on the manufacture, supply and the use of narcotics in the region. We are also extensively mapping out the region into various degrees of narcotic activity," he said.
 
The Regional Head said the mapping out exercise would help in the enforcement activity of the organisation.
After the exercise had been completed, Mr Vanderpuje said that NACOB would present its recommendations to the Regional Security Council (REGSEC).
 
On NACOB’s future activities, he said the organisation would embark on outreach programmes at the various educational institutions based on the intelligence it received.
 
"We will continue to hold periodic coordinating ring meetings with agencies involved in the fight against narcotic drugs with the view of securing a collective strategy in the fight against drugs in the region", he said.
 
He told the meeting that NACOB was understaffed and under-resourced indicating that the current staff strength is two.
 
This situation, he said, had not allowed NACOB to open an office at the Elubo border, he said.
Mr Vanderpuije said that, the office also do not have an official accommodation and lives in "an unsecured house."
 
"Considering the security risks involved in my line of work, I find this situation most unfortunate", he said.