Ghanaian Beautician, 34, Charged in Alleged $260 Million Narcotics Export Case

A 34-year-old beautician from Ghana, Jessica Hartog, appeared before the High Court in Accra on allegations tied to the export of approximately four tonnes of suspected narcotics from Ghana to France. Hartog, owner of Euros Spa in East Legon, is among four people charged in relation to the shipment. The other accused include businessman Desmond Koranteng Curiel, who is also known as Paul Kweku Yeboah or Biggs Musah Attah, along with Kromo and Kweku Otchere. The matter emerged after French officials stopped a 40-foot container at Dunkirk in September 2026. Although the container, sent from Ghana, had been listed as carrying plastic waste, authorities allegedly found banned substances hidden within. The consignment has an estimated street value of around $260 million. After the seizure, Ghana's Narcotics Control Commission, or NACOC, began investigating people connected to the cargo. NACOC officers took Hartog and Curiel into custody at Ashaley Botwe on September 12, and Otchere was arrested the same day at his home in East Legon. Prosecutors informed the court that Attah later surrendered at NACOC headquarters on September 14. According to reports, searches linked to the arrests resulted in the seizure of three firearms, ammunition, four luxury cars, passports and multiple amounts of cash. Hartog, described in court as Curiel's fiancée, told investigators she did not know the nature or details of his business activities. All four accused entered not guilty pleas. The High Court then ordered that they be held in lawful custody while the case continues, adjourning the matter to October 13, 2026. A fifth suspect, Dutch citizen Jos Leijdekkers, who is also known as Bolle Jos, is said to remain at large.