![Keep Us Strong](../../../static/gfx/ja-cg.jpg)
![WikiLeaks logo](../../../static/gfx/WL_Hour_Glass_small.png)
Currently released so far... 3954 / 251,287
Articles
Browse latest releases
2010/12/01
2010/12/02
2010/12/03
2010/12/04
2010/12/05
2010/12/06
2010/12/07
2010/12/08
2010/12/09
2010/12/10
2010/12/11
2010/12/12
2010/12/13
2010/12/14
2010/12/15
2010/12/16
2010/12/17
2010/12/18
2010/12/19
2010/12/20
2010/12/21
2010/12/22
2010/12/23
2010/12/24
2010/12/25
2010/12/26
2010/12/27
2010/12/28
2010/12/29
2010/12/30
2011/01/01
2011/01/02
2011/01/04
2011/01/05
2011/01/07
2011/01/09
2011/01/10
2011/01/11
2011/01/12
2011/01/13
2011/01/14
2011/01/15
2011/01/16
2011/01/17
2011/01/18
2011/01/19
2011/01/20
2011/01/21
2011/01/22
2011/01/23
2011/01/24
2011/01/25
2011/01/26
2011/01/27
2011/01/28
2011/01/29
2011/01/30
2011/01/31
2011/02/01
2011/02/02
2011/02/03
2011/02/04
2011/02/05
2011/02/06
2011/02/07
2011/02/08
2011/02/09
2011/02/10
2011/02/11
Browse by creation date
Browse by origin
Embassy Athens
Embassy Asuncion
Embassy Astana
Embassy Asmara
Embassy Ashgabat
Embassy Ankara
Embassy Amman
Embassy Algiers
Embassy Addis Ababa
Embassy Accra
Embassy Abuja
Embassy Abu Dhabi
Embassy Abidjan
Consulate Amsterdam
American Institute Taiwan, Taipei
Embassy Bujumbura
Embassy Buenos Aires
Embassy Budapest
Embassy Bucharest
Embassy Brussels
Embassy Bridgetown
Embassy Bratislava
Embassy Brasilia
Embassy Bogota
Embassy Bishkek
Embassy Bern
Embassy Berlin
Embassy Belgrade
Embassy Beirut
Embassy Beijing
Embassy Banjul
Embassy Bangkok
Embassy Bandar Seri Begawan
Embassy Bamako
Embassy Baku
Embassy Baghdad
Consulate Barcelona
Embassy Copenhagen
Embassy Conakry
Embassy Colombo
Embassy Chisinau
Embassy Caracas
Embassy Canberra
Embassy Cairo
Consulate Curacao
Consulate Casablanca
Consulate Cape Town
Embassy Dushanbe
Embassy Dublin
Embassy Doha
Embassy Djibouti
Embassy Dhaka
Embassy Dar Es Salaam
Embassy Damascus
Embassy Dakar
Consulate Dubai
Embassy Kyiv
Embassy Kuwait
Embassy Kuala Lumpur
Embassy Kinshasa
Embassy Kigali
Embassy Khartoum
Embassy Kampala
Embassy Kabul
Embassy Luxembourg
Embassy Luanda
Embassy London
Embassy Lisbon
Embassy Lima
Embassy Lilongwe
Embassy La Paz
Consulate Lagos
Mission USNATO
Embassy Muscat
Embassy Moscow
Embassy Montevideo
Embassy Monrovia
Embassy Minsk
Embassy Mexico
Embassy Maputo
Embassy Manama
Embassy Managua
Embassy Malabo
Embassy Madrid
Consulate Munich
Consulate Montreal
Consulate Monterrey
Embassy Pristina
Embassy Pretoria
Embassy Prague
Embassy Port Au Prince
Embassy Phnom Penh
Embassy Paris
Embassy Paramaribo
Embassy Panama
Consulate Peshawar
REO Basrah
Embassy Rome
Embassy Riyadh
Embassy Riga
Embassy Reykjavik
Embassy Rangoon
Embassy Rabat
Consulate Rio De Janeiro
Consulate Recife
Secretary of State
Embassy Stockholm
Embassy Sofia
Embassy Skopje
Embassy Singapore
Embassy Seoul
Embassy Sarajevo
Embassy Santo Domingo
Embassy Santiago
Embassy Sanaa
Embassy San Salvador
Embassy San Jose
Consulate Strasbourg
Consulate Shenyang
Consulate Shanghai
Consulate Sao Paulo
Embassy Tunis
Embassy Tripoli
Embassy Tokyo
Embassy The Hague
Embassy Tel Aviv
Embassy Tehran
Embassy Tegucigalpa
Embassy Tbilisi
Embassy Tashkent
Embassy Tallinn
USUN New York
USEU Brussels
US Mission Geneva
US Interests Section Havana
US Delegation, Secretary
UNVIE
Embassy Ulaanbaatar
Browse by tag
AF
AM
AE
AG
AR
ASEC
AS
AU
AORC
AJ
AMGT
AGMT
AFIN
APER
ABUD
ATRN
AEMR
ACOA
AEC
AO
AX
AMED
ADCO
AODE
AFFAIRS
AC
AL
ASIG
ABLD
AA
AFU
ASUP
AROC
ATFN
CH
CE
CA
CASC
CU
CLINTON
CO
CI
CVIS
CDG
CIA
CACM
CDB
CS
CBW
CD
CV
CMGT
CJAN
CG
CF
CN
CAN
COUNTER
CIS
CM
CONDOLEEZZA
COE
CR
CY
CTM
COUNTRY
CLEARANCE
CPAS
CWC
CT
CKGR
CB
CACS
COM
CJUS
CARSON
COUNTERTERRORISM
EUN
EG
EAID
ENRG
ETTC
EFIN
ECON
ETRD
EPET
EINV
EMIN
ECIP
ECPS
EINDETRD
EAGR
EU
EN
EZ
ELAB
ER
ET
ES
EUC
EI
EAIR
EIND
EWWT
ELTN
EREL
ECIN
EFIS
EINT
EC
ENVR
ECA
EXTERNAL
EINVETC
ENIV
EINN
ENGR
EUR
ESA
ENERG
EK
ELECTIONS
ECUN
EINVEFIN
IR
IS
IZ
INRB
IAEA
IN
IT
ID
IO
IV
ICTY
IQ
ICAO
INTERPOL
IPR
IRAJ
INRA
INRO
IC
IIP
ITPHUM
IWC
ISRAELI
IRAQI
ICRC
IMO
IF
ILC
IEFIN
INTELSAT
IL
IA
IBRD
IMF
ITALY
ITALIAN
KCOR
KDEM
KNNP
KU
KWBG
KPAL
KN
KS
KZ
KAWK
KISL
KPAO
KCRM
KJUS
KSEC
KIPR
KGHG
KIFR
KTFN
KDRG
KV
KSUM
KWAC
KAWC
KDEMAF
KFIN
KGIC
KTIP
KOMC
KHLS
KSPR
KGCC
KPIN
KG
KBIO
KHIV
KSCA
KE
KFRD
KPKO
KNUC
KMDR
KPLS
KOLY
KUNR
KIRF
KIRC
KACT
KRAD
KCOM
KMCA
KHDP
KVPR
KDEV
KWMN
KTIA
KPRP
KCIP
KCFE
KOCI
KTDB
KMRS
KLIG
KBCT
KICC
KGIT
KSTC
KPAK
KNEI
KSEP
KPOA
KFLU
KNUP
KNNPMNUC
KO
KTER
KHUM
KRFD
KBTR
KDDG
KWWMN
KFLO
KSAF
KBTS
KPRV
KMPI
KNPP
KNAR
KWMM
KERG
KTBT
KCRS
KRVC
KR
KPWR
KMIG
MOPS
MZ
MO
MNUC
MASS
MARR
MY
MEPP
MCAP
MA
MR
ML
MX
MIL
MTCRE
MPOS
MOPPS
MTCR
MAPP
MU
MG
MASC
MCC
MK
MTRE
MP
MDC
MAR
MEPI
MRCRE
MI
MT
MQADHAFI
MD
MAPS
MUCN
PREL
PTER
PGOV
PO
PHUM
PINS
PARM
PK
PINR
PINT
PBTS
PROP
PE
PL
PREF
POGOV
PINL
POL
PBIO
PSOE
PHSA
PKFK
PGOF
PARMS
PA
PM
PMIL
PTERE
PF
PALESTINIAN
PY
PGGV
PNR
POV
PAK
PAO
PFOR
PHALANAGE
PARTY
PNAT
PROV
PEL
PGOVE
POLINT
POLITICS
PEPR
PSI
PU
POLITICAL
PARTIES
PECON
SNAR
SA
SY
SOCI
STEINBERG
SP
SENV
SCUL
SF
SO
SR
SG
SW
SU
SL
SMIG
SN
SHUM
SZ
SYR
ST
SANC
SC
SAN
SIPRS
SK
SH
SI
UNSC
UP
UK
USEU
UG
UNMIK
UV
UZ
UY
UN
US
UNGA
UNO
USUN
UE
UNESCO
UAE
UNEP
USTR
UNHCR
UNDP
UNHRC
USAID
UNCHS
UNAUS
Browse by classification
Community resources
courage is contagious
Viewing cable 09ACCRA1070, COUNTER NARCOTICS HEAD DENIES POLITICS AT BOARD
If you are new to these pages, please read an introduction on the structure of a cable as well as how to discuss them with others. See also the FAQs
Understanding cables
Every cable message consists of three parts:
- The top box shows each cables unique reference number, when and by whom it originally was sent, and what its initial classification was.
- The middle box contains the header information that is associated with the cable. It includes information about the receiver(s) as well as a general subject.
- The bottom box presents the body of the cable. The opening can contain a more specific subject, references to other cables (browse by origin to find them) or additional comment. This is followed by the main contents of the cable: a summary, a collection of specific topics and a comment section.
Discussing cables
If you find meaningful or important information in a cable, please link directly to its unique reference number. Linking to a specific paragraph in the body of a cable is also possible by copying the appropriate link (to be found at theparagraph symbol). Please mark messages for social networking services like Twitter with the hash tags #cablegate and a hash containing the reference ID e.g. #09ACCRA1070.
Reference ID | Created | Released | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|---|
09ACCRA1070 | 2009-10-08 15:03 | 2010-12-14 21:09 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Accra |
VZCZCXYZ0025
RR RUEHWEB
DE RUEHAR #1070/01 2811525
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 081525Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY ACCRA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8355
INFO RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHDC
C O N F I D E N T I A L ACCRA 001070
SIPDIS
EO 12958 DECL: 10/08/2019
TAGS SNAR, PGOV, CVIS, XA, GH
SUBJECT: COUNTER NARCOTICS HEAD DENIES POLITICS AT BOARD
Classified By: Charge d,Affaires Julie Furuta-Toy for reasons 1.4(b) an d (d).
¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) Executive Secretary Yaw Akrasi Sarpong told Poloffs October 5 that while he is a staunch supporter of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), party politics has no place at the NACOB. Sarpong complained about the lack of effective narcotics enforcement in neighboring countries, accused XXXXXXXXXX of complicity in drug trafficking, and said that traffickers are using the airport VVIP lounge to avoid searches. While President Mills has been outspoken in his determination to combat drug trafficking, Sarpong said that the NDC government has failed so far to provide NACOB with adequate resources, and stressed that low salaries make law enforcement personnel highly vulnerable to drug traffickers. END SUMMARY
¶2. (SBU) On October 5, Pol Chief and Poloff met with the newly appointed Executive Secretary of NACOB Sarpong. He was appointed to the government’s top anti-narcotics trafficking job in July 2009 and has moved quickly to establish his own imprimatur on the position. Sarpong stated that “I am a political man” outlining his time as former President Jerry Rawlings’ youngest cabinet minister in the mid 1980s, but claimed emphatically that “there is no politics here” referring to NACOB. He claimed to track all drug dealers regardless of their political affiliation yet simultaneously made disparaging categorical remarks about drug connections in the former New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, now the opposition party (and the influence on politics of money derived from drug trafficking).
¶3. (C) Sarpong stated unequivocally that XXXXXXXXXX answered directly to Ghana’s drug lords. He repeated the statement several times and said that he makes the accusation publicly whenever possible. However, while President Mills has struck the right rhetorical tone regarding his commitment to combating narcotics, Sarpong said that the Mills Administration has so far failed to provide adequate resources to NACOB. He underlined that the force is understaffed, underfunded, and underresourced. (COMMENT: Sarpong implied that police are open to corruption because of their personal financial situation. END COMMENT)
¶4. (C) The Executive Secretary noted that Ghana,s difficulty in effectively preventing the inflow of drugs across its land borders highlights the regional nature of drug trafficking in West Africa, as well as serious shortcomings in the police capabilities in Ghana,s three neighbors. Sarpong said that if his office arranged for a controlled drop in Cote d’Ivoire, the drugs would quickly wind up back in Ghana. Drugs originating in Guinea could travel through Mali and Burkina Faso and enter Ghana from the north “and no one would stop them.” Sarpong also questioned how “$700,000” mansions could be built in the poor region adjacent to the main Ghana-Togo border crossing or how a single Nigerian woman could buy large parcels of beach front property and no one questions the source of her funds.
¶5. (C) In the context of where to install a USG funded body scanner at the airport, Sarpong outlined ways in which drugs are smuggled out of the Accra airport. In addition to the individual “mules” who ingest small quantities of drugs or conceal the drugs in luggage or body cavities, airport workers have been arrested for passing drugs to travelers after they have completed security formalities. Sarpong also said that drugs are smuggled out of the airport through the “VVIP” (Very Very Important Person) lounge. Sarpong said that in the previous administration, Ghanaians with a contact in the Foreign Ministry could obtain a pass to the lounge from the State Protocol Office that entitled the traveler to be driven from the lounge to the plane in a protocol vehicle without their person or luggage undergoing security screening. He commented that bank managers, pastors, and their wives were given service passports and access to the lounge and questioned why these middle class travelers were awarded privileges traditionally reserved for cabinet ministers.
¶6. (SBU) Before concluding the meeting, Sarpong asked the USG for assistance in preventing Ghanaian drug lords and their families from receiving visas to travel to the U.S. Sarpong claims that the drug barons can easily provide financial statements that help qualify them for travel visas but that once they get to the U.S. or Europe, they legitimize their money by buying property or sending their children to expensive schools. He suggested that there should be greater scrutiny of those with substantial financial resources but without a clear source of that wealth, and said law enforcement would better be able to convict traffickers if their money stays in Ghana where it can be traced.
¶7. (C) COMMENT: Sarpong appears determined to aggressively address Ghana,s narcotics trafficking problem, and has clearly been emboldened by President Mills, public support for this effort. His experience in intelligence and the NDC provides him the weight, and status to deal independently with the challenges facing NACOB. Nevertheless, Sarpong,s comments indicate that corruption (whether resulting from the low salaries paid to police personnel or the selling of VVIP airport privileges) remains a major obstacle to success. In addition, despite positive rhetoric it remains unclear whether the Mills Administration will devote the resources that Sarpong feels are so far lacking. END COMMENT FURUTA-TOY