NACOC hands over $1.7 million worth of seized gold to GoldBod

The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) handed over seized gold to the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod) on Tuesday.

The seventeen bars of gold, valued at $1.7 million, were confiscated by officers of NACOC’s Upper East Regional Command at the Paga Border Post.

The items were being smuggled by two Burkinabe nationals who have since been charged with offences relating to the illegal transportation and dealing in gold.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Minister for the Interior, Hon. Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, assured the leadership of GoldBod of the Ministry’s full support in its mandate to monitor and regulate Ghana’s gold resources. He praised NACOC for its vigilance and reiterated the importance of inter-agency cooperation in combating illegal mineral trade.

The Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, expressed gratitude to NACOC for the interception and successful handover. He called for continued collaboration between GoldBod and national security agencies to ensure Ghana’s gold does not fall into the wrong hands.

Present at the ceremony were the Chief Director of the Ministry of the Interior, Mrs. Doreen Annan, the Director-General of NACOC, Brigadier General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, as well as senior officials from both NACOC and GoldBod.

The GoldBod works in collaboration with state institutions to ensure that gold—particularly from small-scale mining operations—is properly documented, transported, and exported through legal channels. The agency also plays a role in efforts to combat illegal gold smuggling and improve traceability within Ghana’s gold sector.

The Chief Executive Officer of GoldBod, Mr. Sammy Gyamfi, expressed gratitude to the Director-General of NACOC for the successful handover and called for continued support and collaboration between various security agencies to enable them to succeed.

The handing-over ceremony was witnessed by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Mrs. Doreen Annan, the Director General of NACOC, Brigadier General Maxwell Obuba Mantey, and other senior officials from NACOC and GoldBod.