Ghana, in collaboration with INTERPOL and other international law-enforcement partners, has made significant strides in combating transnational organised crime, COP Lydia Yaako Don
The report indicates that ghana, in collaboration with INTERPOL and other international law-enforcement partners, has made significant strides in combating transnational organised crime, COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, has said.
It further notes that she stated Ghana’s participation in INTERPOL-coordinated operations had resulted in the arrest of suspects, the recovery of stolen assets, the rescue of victims, and the disruption of criminal networks operating across borders.
COP Donkor stated this in a statement to commemorate the United Nations International Day of Police Cooperation, observed on Monday, September 7, on the theme: “Protecting Against Vulnerability; Building Trust and Legitimacy in Policing.”
The nature of crime, she noted, had changed dramatically, making international police cooperation increasingly important in addressing crimes that transcended national borders.
“Today, Ghana joins the international law-enforcement community in commemorating the United Nations International Day of Police Cooperation under the 2026 theme: ‘Protecting Against Vulnerability; Building Trust and Legitimacy in Policing,’” she said.
COP Donkor noted that Ghana had been a member of INTERPOL since 1958, with the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Accra facilitating international police cooperation through the global law-enforcement network.
She stated the impact of such cooperation was demonstrated by Ghana’s participation in Operation Contender 3.0, an INTERPOL-coordinated operation against romance scams and sextortion conducted simultaneously across 14 African countries in August 2025.
The operation led to the arrest of 68 suspects, the seizure of 835 electronic devices, and the identification of 108 victims.
Investigations further established financial losses of approximately $450,000, of which about $ 70,000 was recovered.
She also cited Operation Sentinel, another INTERPOL-coordinated cybercrime operation conducted simultaneously across 19 African countries between October and November 2025.
The operation led to the identification of the ransomware strain used in an attack on a Ghanaian institution, from which more than $120,000 was stolen. COP Donkor stated nearly 30 terabytes of data were recovered and the perpetrators arrested.
She stated the results were not merely statistics but represented businesses protected, savings recovered, digital infrastructure secured and criminal networks disrupted.
“Behind these figures were real victims; people whose trust had been manipulated through fake identities, stolen photographs, fraudulent relationships and threats of exposure,” she said.
COP Donkor stated the outcomes of the operations demonstrated that international cooperation went beyond the exchange of information.
