A 111-member special operations team deployed by the Inspector-General of Police has arrested 19 people in a targeted sweep through known drug hotspots in Kumasi, with police saying the exercise forms part of a sustained effort to dismantle criminal networks across the Ashanti Region.
The operation, led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Bawah Abdul Jalil and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Samuel Mustapha Abenzuo, focused on areas identified through intelligence as centres of drug peddling and substance abuse, including the Alaba and Thinker localities within the metropolis.
Officers carried out intelligence-led patrols across the city, including the Manhyia Palace enclave, before moving into the designated target areas. During searches, a shop operator identified as Madam Ola Ruth was arrested after dried leaves suspected to be cannabis were found on her premises. A further 18 suspects were apprehended in the same vicinity, bringing the total arrests to 19.
Exhibits seized during the operation included substances suspected to be heroin or cocaine, dried leaves believed to be cannabis, opioids, and various items associated with drug use. All 19 suspects have been transferred to the Suntreso Police District Headquarters, where they remain in custody as investigations continue. The seized substances have been handed to forensic analysts for testing.
Police said the operation was conducted in line with professional standards and described the exercise as part of a broader crackdown on robbery, drug trafficking, illegal firearms and violent crime in the Ashanti Region. Authorities added that similar intelligence-led operations will be intensified across the region in the coming weeks.
The Kumasi operation follows a series of recent enforcement actions in the Ashanti Region. In February, police dismantled a carjacking syndicate known as the Duku Group after a coordinated operation that resulted in four arrests and the death of the alleged gang leader. Earlier this month, 12 suspects were arrested in connection with multiple robbery cases, including three linked to the murder of a Kusasi chief at Asawase in Kumasi.
