Are there emerging West African criminal networks? The gase of Ghana

Global Crime

Volumn 8, Issue 3, 2007, Pages 193-212

  Aning, Kwesi ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

Artisanal arms manufacture; Drug smuggling; Ghana; Internet crime; Tradition and modernity; Transnational crime

Indexed keywords

EID: 34548102745     PISSN: 17440572     EISSN: 17440580     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/17440570701507729     Document Type: Article

References (53)

1. Pape, E. (2005) 'West Africa: The New "Drug Triangle"', Newsweek International, 25 August.
2. See, Melville, C. (2006)'Colombians Arrested on Suspicion of Narcotics Trafficking in Guinea Bissau,' Global Insight Daily Analysis, 16 January. According to Melville,'a group of seven Colombian nationals were arrested at the international airport in Bissau... after the private aircraft in which they had arrived from Ghana was found to contain "a large quantity of cocaine" and some 6,30,000 euro (US$7,65,000)'.
3. Ibid.
4. Drugs are not the only activity engaged in by these groups; see for example, Carroll, R. (2003) 'West Africa Fuels Illegal Ivory Trade', The Guardian, 16 December.
5. For the application of a similar methodology in a five-nation study comprising Ghana, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, La Cote d'Ivoire and Senegal, see, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2005) Transnational Organized Crime in the West African Region, United Nations, New York.
6. This was the definition provided to the conference organized by the Bangkok Country Office (BCO) and the Joint Interagency Task Force West (JIATF West). See,'Notes from the African Criminal Networks Conference', p. 1.
7. Ellis, S. (2005)'West Africa and the international drug trade: historical background', African Criminal Networks (CAN) Conferene, Bangkok, Thailand, 16-19 May.
8. For other interesting analyses of African cases, see Allen, C. (1999)'Africa and the Drugs Trade', Review of African Political Economy, vol. 79, pp. 5-7
9. and Bernstein, H. (1999)'Ghana's Drug Economy: Some Preliminary Data', in Ibid.
10. Pape, op cit.
11. See also Shaw, M. (2001)'Towards an Understanding of West African Criminal Networks in Southern Africa', African Security Review, vol. 10, no. 4.
12. 'Notes from the African Criminal Networks Conference', 16-19 May 2005, Bangkok, Thailand, p. 1.
13. I am grateful to Emmanuel Addo Sowatey, for his research assistance and Alice Mungwa for her initial comments, and all the other public officials who took time off their busy schedules to provide confidential information.
14. See, Umar, M. (2005)'African Criminal Networks: Confronting the Issues', African Criminal Networks (ACN) Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, 16-19 May.
15. See also Government of Ghana, International Labour Organisation & United Nations Development Programme (2004)An Employment Framework for Poverty Reduction in Africa, [Online] Available at: http://www.indexmundi.com/ghana/unemployment_rate.html, accessed on 23 January 2006.
16. Interview, Accra, 12 September 2005.
17. I am grateful to Mr Seth Aggor, former Head, Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for granting me several interview in the course of 2004 and 2005.
18. Umuazu op cit., 12.
19. The US State Department's International Narcotics Control Strategy Report for 2005, released by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.
20. 'Airport Catering Workers Nabbed Over Drugs', Daily Graphic, 16 January 2006. In this case, two airport catering staff, Daniel Sarpong and Frederick Coffie stored 6.3 kilos of cocaine in the back-galley washroom of an aircraft. Refer also to'Ghanaian resident in Germany convicted for attempting to export cocaine' at www.ghanatoday.com for attempting to export 1.4 kilos of cocaine to the Netherlands. Upon arrest, his accomplices attempted to bribe airport officials with $4,000, accessed on 4 February 2006.
21. Also Ibid. 2.
22. See The Statesman(2005)'Ghana - Staging Post for Drug Trade', 22 November.
23. See Mbroh, R. E. (2005)'Ghana, Fast Becoming Lucrative Market for Drugs', Business & Financial Times, 14-20 March, pp. 1&3.
24. For a similar process in Nigeria, see Shaw, M. (2002)'West African Criminal Networks in South and Southern Africa', African Affairs, vol. 101, no. 404, July.
25. For an excellent historical interpretation of these developments, see Ellis, S. (2005)'West Africa and the International Drug Trade: Historical Background', African Criminal Networks (ACN) Conference Bangkok, Thailand, 16-19 May.
26. See for example'My Life is in danger - Ghanaian Chief Justice' at http://p4.hosingprod.com@ghanationalcouncil.org/blog/2006/03/ my_life_is-in-danger_ghnanaian.html 2 March 2006, accessed on 3 March 2006. In this article, the Chief Justice, George Kingsley Acquah, alleges that he has been receiving death threats as a result of his efforts to fight corruption within the judicial service, arguing that'... "The maneuvers to undermine my integrity are becoming too much."'
27. '$62,000 Bribery at Cantonments Police Station - Inspector Frees drug trafficker' [Online] Available at: http://www.ghanaweb.com/ GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=97755, accessed on 20 January 2006.
28. I am grateful for Mr K. B. Quantson for granting me several interviews and sharing his experiences with me throughout most of 2004 and 2005.
29. See Quantson, K. B. (2003) National Security: The Dilemma, Napasvil Ventures, Accra, p. 202.
30. Interview, Accra, 19 August 2005.
31. See for example,'Hon. Amoateng Deserves Sympathy and Fair Criticisms', Monday, 28 November 2005, [Online] Available at: www.ghanaweb.com/ GhanaHomePage, accessed on 17 January 2006.
32. In spite of the charges, the MP seems to be a popular public figure who played multiple roles in his community. For example see,'Brong Ahafo Citizens Stunned'. According to the MPs sympathisers, he is a (benefactor), currently sponsoring more than 100 students, Local Chieftain, development-oriented person, provides social welfare goods, a successful businessman and contractor' and provider of soft loans to needy people without charging interest'. He is also perceived as'honest, respectful and respectable gentleman', a major contributor towards educational development in the district at a cost of more than 1¢00 million and gave prizes such as wall clocks, ghetto blasters and 21 in. television sets to outstanding candidates, teachers and schools'. Finally, he is portrayed as a family man '... and philanthropist who had helped many people in the area and beyond'.
33. See 'NPP Agents Volunteer to Harvest Produce from Amoateng's farm' from Ghana News Agency (GNA), 26 January 2007, [Online] Available at http://myjoyonline.com/ghananews, accessed on 27 January 2006.
34. Article 97 (1c) of the 1992 Republican Constitution states that,'A Member of Parliament shall vacate his seat in Parliament if he is absent, without the permission in writing of the Speaker and is unable to offer a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges, from 15 sittings of a meeting of Parliament during any period that Parliament has been summoned to meet and continues to meet'.
35. See 'Amoateng Admits Pushing Drugs', [Online] Available at: www.ghanaweb.com/Ghana Homepage/newsArchive/article.php?ID=122236, accessed on 30 April 2007.
36. 'Nkroranza Honours Amoateng, Others', www.thestatesmanonline.com/pages/ news_detail.php?newsid=3055§ion=1, accessed on 30 April 2007.
37. 'Banker Jailed in Narcotic Case' 18 January 2006 [Online] Available at: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=97802, accessed on 20 January 2006.
38. Interview with Seth W. K. Dovlo, Chief Collector (Staff Officer to Commissioner), CEPS, Accra, 3 June 2005.
39. Aning, E. K. (2005)'The Anatomy of Ghana's Secret Arms Industry', in Armed and Aimless: Armed Groups, Guns, and Human Security in the ECOWAS Region, eds N. Florquin & E. Berman, SAS, Geneva.
40. Ibid.
41. Aning, E. K. (2004)'An Emerging Industry? Craft Small Arms Production in Ghana' (with Nic Florquin), Jane's Intelligence Review, vol. 26, no. 6, December.
42. Interview with Executives of the Ashanti Region Association of Blacksmiths (ARAB), Accra and Kumasi, 2004.
43. Interview with gun manufacturer at Akyem Manso in the Eastern Region, November 2004.
44. See Aning, E. K. et al. (2005) Small Arms Proliferation in Ghana: A Baseline Assessment, Report prepared for the Government of Ghana and United Nations Development Program (GoG/UNDP) with support of Small Arms Survey (SAS), Geneva.
45. Interview with George Ankobil, Chief Superintendent of Police, (who is the Deputy Police Commander for the Upper West Region), at Wa, 6 October 2004.
46. Interviews in Central,Western, Volta and Eastern Regions of Ghana, November 2004-February 2005.
47. According to a Government of Ghana Report, November 1999,Interim Report of Arms and Ammunition Inventory Committee, Government of Ghana, Accra, p. 5, a particular company was involved in a possible trans-shipment of shotguns and cartridges to two Nigerians involving 14,672 pieces of shotguns and 1,313,453 cartridges.
48. Aning, K. (2003)'Firearms availability and Crime in Ghana' in Studies in Small Arms and Crime in Africa, ed A. Ebo, Small Arms Survey/OUP, Geneva.
49. Interview, Bawku, 24 November 2004.
50. See for example,'Proliferation of Arms, a Worry to Government', [Online] Avaiable at: http://www.newsinghana.com/news/archives/ arms-proliferation.html, accessed on 16 April 2003. The former Interior Minister, Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu confirmed that for the year 2000 alone, the Ministry of Interior authorised 19,468 pieces of shotguns to be imported.
51. See also Report of Official Ministerial visit to Bawku to examine extent of gun smuggling.
52. For more information, see Quist, F. 2005.'West African Organized Crime Trends 2005', African Criminal Networks (ACN) Conference, Bangkok, Thailand, 16-19 May 2005.
53. Ellis, op cit.