Victoria Bright calls for financial probe into networks behind drug trafficking

Private legal practitioner Victoria Bright has called for a comprehensive investigation into the financial networks behind international drug trafficking, warning that arresting individuals transporting narcotics without pursuing those financing the operations will do little to stop the trade. She said security agencies must shift greater attention towards identifying the individuals and networks responsible for purchasing drugs, arranging their transportation and determining their eventual destinations.

Her comments follow the arrest of a Syrian national at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, after he allegedly attempted to transport approximately 40 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine from Ghana. The suspect was arrested on Saturday, October 31, following his arrival from Accra, Ghana, with the suspected narcotic substance concealed in two pieces of luggage.

Speaking on JoyNews AM Show on Monday, November 2, Ms Bright expressed concern about the increasing frequency of drug trafficking incidents and the growing quantities of narcotics involved. “I won’t say we are losing the battle, but we need to maybe do better. These incidents are becoming more and more frequent, and the quantities involved are also becoming larger, so it’s very troubling,” she said.

She drew attention to reports that the suspect had returned to Ghana within a week to collect another consignment, describing the alleged activity as evidence of an organised operation. She argued that investigations conducted by Ghanaian authorities should establish the identities of those supplying the drugs, financing their movement, facilitating their passage through the country and receiving the consignments.

“Who supplied the consignment? Who organised and financed its movement? Who was supposed to receive it and who facilitated its passage through the country?” she asked. The lawyer questioned how substances such as heroin and cocaine, which are not produced in Ghana, continued to move through the country’s borders. READ ALSO: Syrian arrested at Beirut Airport with 40kg suspected cocaine shipment from Ghana – NACOC confirms She cautioned that concentrating investigations on individuals caught transporting the drugs would leave the more powerful figures behind the operations untouched.

“So these are very important questions, because arresting the person carrying the luggage doesn’t mean anything. They are just a mule. They are the lowest in the chain,” she said. According to her, law enforcement agencies must prioritise dismantling the networks and identifying those who stand to benefit financially from the illegal trade. She said financial investigations should form an essential part of efforts to establish how the operations were funded and who was responsible for the movement of the consignments.

“The powers behind these operations and the people who stand to benefit from them must be dismantled. For me, a thorough financial investigation is also necessary. That is really the crux of the matter; otherwise, we are simply scratching the surface,” she said Ms Bright further questioned the sources of funding for the alleged operations, including the purchase of narcotics and the payment of international travel expenses.

“Who is paying for these drugs? Who is financing these drugs? Who is paying for these tickets, the travel tickets? How are these payments being arranged? And who were the intended beneficiaries?” she asked. She also called for authorities to trace and pursue assets and proceeds connected with the alleged offences where the available evidence justified action through the appropriate legal processes.

She maintained that targeting the financial arrangements behind the trafficking networks was necessary to prevent further shipments. Ms Bright expressed frustration over what she considered the limited progress in identifying those financing the operations, despite repeated public discussions about drug trafficking. She warned that unless investigators were able to reach the individuals controlling and funding the networks, the country would continue dealing with individual arrests without resolving the wider problem.

“So far we haven’t caught any of these financiers, as far as I know. And until we catch them, it’s going to go on. If you don’t get to the powers behind these things, we’re going to go around in circles,” she said. She pointed to the need for further examination of the measures in place to prevent narcotics from being transported through the country’s aviation facilities.