The Upper West Regional office of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) is calling for stiffer punishment for offenders involved in the illegal sale and abuse of Tramadol and other unregistered drugs.
Speaking at a drug abuse sensitisation programme organised by Aware Minds Foundation for basic school pupils, on Friday, July 18, FDA Regional Director, Sankpal Dafaari Kelvin described current penalties as too lenient and ineffective in deterring offences.
He recounted a recent operation in Nabulo, a community in the Sissala East Municipality, where his team discovered a shop selling only unregistered drugs, including Tramadol 500mg locally referred to as “the red.” Ghanaian law permits only up to 100mg of Tramadol to be sold, making the 500mg variant illegal and dangerous.
“Something happened that made me vow never to fight Tramadol addicts again in the Upper West Region,” he told the students.
The raid, which took place on May, 30, nearly turned violent when residents attempted to attack the FDA officers the following day. The situation was eventually brought under control after intervention by the Upper West Regional Minister and the police, who assisted in arresting and transporting the suspect to Wa.
The suspect was initially charged under Section 118 of the Public Health Act, which prohibits the sale of unregistered drugs. The law allows for up to 15 years in prison or a fine of 1,500 penalty units. However, the court sentenced the suspect to only 160 penalty units, equivalent to GHC 1,920.
“I spent GHC 6,950 on fuel, accommodation, and logistics for that single operation. Is this judgment fair? If I decide not to fight Tramadol again, am I wrong?” he said.
Kelvin argued that such light penalties discourage enforcement efforts and waste critical public resources. “I wanted someone to go to prison to serve as an example,” he added.
He also cited a similar case in 2023 in which the offender was initially fined GHC 2,000. The fine was later increased to GHC 4,000 after his protest, although the suspect reportedly offered to pay GHC 30,000 to settle the matter informally, a proposal Kelvin refused.
The FDA regional director said custodial sentences are necessary to reflect the seriousness of illegal drug trafficking and serve as a deterrent to others engaged in the illicit trade.
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