IGP’s Special Operations Team Arrests 74 in Upper East Anti-Crime Crackdown

The Inspector-General of Police’s Special Operations Team has arrested 74 suspects in a series of intelligence-led operations targeting narcotics trafficking and other criminal activities in the Upper East Region.

The operations, conducted in Paga and the Navrongo Municipalities, between May 20 and May 22, 2026 led to the retrieval of assorted foreign cigarettes, suspected narcotic substances and motorbikes believed to have been used in criminal activities.

According to the Police, the first operation was carried out on May 20 within the Ghana-Burkina Faso border buffer zone at Paga. The swoop resulted in the arrest of 40 suspects made up of 28 males and 12 females. The suspects comprised 23 Ghanaians, eight Nigerians, six Burkinabés, one Malian and one Togolese national.

Police said exhibits retrieved during the operation included parcels and sacks of suspected narcotic substances as well as five motorbikes suspected to have been used for the distribution of the substances.

In a second operation on May 22, 2026 the Special Operations Team stormed identified criminal hotspots within the Navrongo Municipality, including the Condemned Road Corridor, the “After Six” Spot and the “Lighter Inn” Spot.

That operation led to the arrest of 34 suspects, comprising 32 males and two females. Police also retrieved 11 motorbikes, quantities of suspected narcotic substances and assorted foreign cigarettes during the raid.

The suspects were subsequently arraigned before a High Court on the same day, presided over by His Lordship Justice Ernest Pascal Gemadzie.

Sixteen of the suspects were remanded into Police custody and are expected to reappear before the court on June 4, 2026, while the remaining 22 suspects are currently being profiled for further action.

Police said all the suspects remain in custody assisting investigations as efforts continue to identify and apprehend other individuals linked to criminal activities in the affected areas.

 

 

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