The Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) has struck again at a Ghanaian university, arresting ten students of Koforidua Technical University (KTU) for allegedly manufacturing and selling cannabis-infused drinks and ice cream during the institution's SRC Hall Week celebrations.
According to a NACOC statement on Facebook, the operation, conducted between Friday, July 31 and Saturday, August 1, 2026, resulted in the apprehension of 23-year-old Priscilla Tetteh, identified by the Commission as the suspected ringleader, alongside nine other young men believed to be part of an organised distribution network.
The suspects were arrested while actively trading the illicit products to students and patrons at the event, following an intelligence-led operation that had been monitoring activities on campus for months.
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According to NACOC, preliminary field tests confirmed the presence of cannabis in several items seized during the raid, including cups of "abele" ice cream, pineapple juice, sobolo drinks, and fresh palm wine. The Commission expressed grave concern over what it described as an "emerging criminal enterprise exploiting social events and educational institutions to promote the abuse of narcotic substances among the youth".
This latest bust comes barely two months after a similar operation at Central University, where five students were arrested in June for allegedly producing and selling cannabis-infused ice cream, sobolo, toffees, pepper and eggs, while also dealing in raw cannabis. In that incident, university management suspended all remaining SRC Week activities pending a review of existing event management protocols. The suspects in the Central University case were identified as Raphael Tetteh Konotey, 22; Abu Mohammed, 20; Leonard Daniel Obeng, 21; Emmanuel Kwaku Divine, 21; and Bethel Yeboah, 21 .
The back-to-back arrests have raised alarm about a growing trend of students commercialising narcotic substances under the guise of entertainment and entrepreneurship. NACOC has warned that educational institutions must remain "centres of learning, innovation and character development, not safe havens for drug trafficking and substance abuse" .
The Deputy Director Alexander Twum-Barima recently raised the alarm over what he described as a deliberate shift in how cannabis derivatives are being concealed and distributed through everyday food items such as the popular local snack "nkosua ne meko" and ice cream. He expressed particular concern about vendors setting up food stands during school activity periods to distribute cannabis-laced products to unsuspecting students.
All ten suspects remain in NACOC custody and will be processed in accordance with the law. The Commission has assured the public that it will continue to intensify intelligence-led operations across the country to dismantle criminal networks involved in narcotics trafficking, particularly those targeting students and vulnerable groups.
See photographs of the bust below;
