here - Center on International Cooperation - New York University

of senior politicians, law enforcement officers and civil
servants in much of this activity, particularly the drug
trade does however suggest that organized, transnational
criminal activity may be becoming intertwined with
domestic patronage systems. This is the pattern that –
in countries such as Italy and Colombia – has given rise
to entrenched criminal mafias. These challenges, which
are not so obvious to detect and surmount as the more
obvious signs of governance failure in some of its more
conflict-prone neighbours, are nonetheless increasingly
seen by Ghanaians as a significant threat to governance
and to Ghana’s longer-term development. 50
50. Interviews with a range of actors in Ghana, May 2012
II. The Nature and Scope of Organized
Crime in Ghana
Of the types of organized criminal activity observed in
Ghana today, drug trafficking continues to be the most
significant. It is also the organized criminal activity that
interacts most with Ghana’s political processes and state
actors. 51 The following section provides insights into these
activities, while also highlighting signs of other emerging
forms of organized criminal activities such as money
laundering, illegal mining, electronic and environmental
crime, arms manufacturing and trafficking, and human
trafficking.
Drug Trafficking
106
Interviews with Ghanaian law enforcement, judicial
personnel, medical professionals and social workers,
political, and civil society actors for the purpose of this
study confirmed that the smuggling of illicit drugs
represents the main form of organized criminal activity
in Ghana, and is nurtured by endemic public sector
corruption. This confirms pre-existing observations of
Ghana’s position as a key transit point for cocaine from
Latin America and heroin from South and Southeast Asia
en route to Europe, North America, and other destinations
for the past thirty years. 52 Marijuana – which is grown
across much of Ghana – is also trafficked to Europe and
North America. Interviewees also pointed out that beyond
being a transit country, consumption of hard drugs is on
the rise in Ghana, and not just among the wealthy. While
baseline data on drug consumption is still largely nonexistent,
a quick visit to some of the areas w<strong>here</strong> smalltime
peddlers and addicts congregate revealed that
crack cocaine and even heroin are also being consumed.
The Ghanaian health system is currently not equipped to
respond to these challenges and receives very limited state
resources to support victims who are often stigmatized
by their families and traditional support networks. At the
same time, law enforcement officials noted with concern
51. Aning, Kwesi. ‘African Domestic and Cross-border challenges’ in Chester A. Crocker, Fen Osler
Hampson, and Aall, Pamela, (Eds.). Rewiring Regional Security in a Fragmented World. United
States Institute of Peace, Washington, DC, 2011
52. Aning, (2007), op cit.; Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (2005).
International Narcotics Control Strategy Report. Bureau for International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement Affairs, Washington, DC.
NYU
CIC
Responding to the Impact of Organized Crime on Developing Countries