Ghana ranked 5th among countries of origin for cocaine seized at Antwerp in 2025 – See full ranking

• Ghana ranked fifth among the countries of origin listed for cocaine shipments seized at Belgium’s Port of Antwerp in 2025, with Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil and Colombia occupying the other top positions.

• Belgian customs intercepted nearly 55 tonnes of cocaine at Antwerp in 2025, a 24% increase from the 44 tonnes seized in 2024.

• The classification does not mean the cocaine was produced in Ghana; Belgian customs’ “country of origin” designation refers to where the container was loaded and shipped. Authorities have said the cocaine itself originated mainly from South America.

The data, presented by Belgian Finance Minister Jan Jambon in January 2026, showed that Belgian customs intercepted nearly 55 tonnes of cocaine at the port last year, a 24 per cent increase from the 44 tonnes seized in 2024.

Ghana was the only African country among the five countries listed in the customs breakdown. Ecuador, Costa Rica, Brazil and Colombia accounted for the other four positions.

However, the classification requires some context.

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In Belgian customs terminology, a country's designation as the “country of origin” relates to where the container was loaded and shipped from. It does not necessarily mean that the cocaine was produced in that country.

Belgian authorities have stated that the cocaine seized at Antwerp originated from South America, meaning Ghana's position in the data does not establish that the drugs were produced locally.

Ghana's appearance in the top five follows several significant seizures involving cargo shipped from Tema.

On November 28, 2025, Belgian customs intercepted 2,829 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden inside a container carrying cassava flour that had arrived from Ghana's Tema Port.

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A separate shipment from Ghana resulted in the interception of 1,158 kilogrammes of suspected cocaine in December 2025. Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) subsequently arrested three people in connection with the consignment following joint intelligence operations with Belgian authorities.

Together, the two Antwerp seizures amounted to almost four tonnes, roughly seven per cent of the total cocaine intercepted at the port during 2025, according to JoyNews Research.

The Antwerp figures come amid a series of major international narcotics cases involving consignments shipped from Ghana.

In June 2025, Dutch authorities seized approximately 4.5 tonnes of cocaine concealed in a timber shipment at the Port of Amsterdam. The seizure was described as the largest cocaine seizure in the port's history. The container had arrived from West Africa and was selected for inspection following a risk assessment.

In June 2026, Australian authorities intercepted approximately 320 kilogrammes of methamphetamine concealed in bags of charcoal in two shipping containers that had arrived from Ghana. Australian authorities estimated the drugs' street value at about A$296 million. NACOC later announced the arrest of a suspected lead shipper in Ghana as investigations continued.

More recently, French customs intercepted almost 3.9 tonnes of cocaine at the Port of Dunkirk on September 10, 2026.

The drugs were concealed in a container carrying plastic waste that had arrived from Ghana. French authorities valued the cocaine at about €225 million, while part of the consignment was reportedly destined for Antwerp.

The seizure triggered an investigation in Ghana. NACOC announced arrests in connection with the shipment, while four Ghanaians were subsequently arraigned before the Accra High Court on charges relating to the alleged exportation of narcotic drugs. The case remains ongoing.

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The latest Belgian data places Ghana among the countries most frequently identified in connection with cocaine shipments intercepted at Antwerp during 2025.

However, the figures alone do not establish that Ghana is a producer of cocaine or that the drugs were manufactured there. Rather, they reflect the origin of the containers intercepted by Belgian customs.

Belgian authorities have also noted that traffickers are increasingly adapting their routes, including moving South American cocaine through West Africa before sending it onwards to Europe.

The growing number of major seizures involving Ghana-linked consignments has consequently prompted calls for closer scrutiny of cargo screening, port security and international cooperation in the fight against transnational drug trafficking.