The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says a pregnant woman, a nursing mother, and a 200-level university student are among 28 suspects arrested with 9,437.6kg of cannabis and 138,053 tablets of pharmaceutical opioids.
It said nine Ghanaians have also been jailed for 72 years for illicit smuggling of cannabis.
Femi Babafemi, the spokesman of the NDLEA, in a statement on Sunday, said officials of the agency arrested the suspects during interdiction operations across 12 states, including Yobe, Ondo, Edo, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Imo, Jigawa, Kogi, Adamawa, Kaduna, Kwara, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The statement said the operatives of the agency in the FCT, on Saturday, October 15 stormed a village known as Chukuku – about 10km from Gwagwalada, where they raided a large cannabis warehouse. A total of 510 jumbo bags of the illicit substance weighing 5, 640kgs were recovered from the store and a nursing mother in charge, Sa’adatu Abdullahi, 35, was arrested.
In Yobe, the operatives intercepted 48kgs of cannabis in Buni Yadi and also raided a location in Potiskum where they recovered 56 blocks (31kgs) from two suspects: Mohammed Mamuda and a married pregnant woman, Hauwa Haruna.
“About 99 bags of cannabis and three bags of its seeds weighing 1,286kgs were seized on Thursday, October 13 when operatives raided a location in Ogbese area of Ondo State, while another raid at Umukpe forest in Uhunmonde council area of Edo state led to the seizure of 410kgs of the same substance in addition to a motorcycle, two dane guns and the arrest of two suspects: Numga Anim, 30, and Friday Ebije, 50.
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“Not less than 50 bags of cannabis Sativa weighing 623kg were also recovered at Ekpom village in Igueben LGA with the arrest of the owner, Lucky Henry, 30, while another suspect, Ndidi Esegine, 52, was nabbed at Ugbodo forest, Ovia North East LGA with 266.8kg cannabis on Tuesday, October 11.
Two days later, operatives stormed Uzebba forest in Owan West LGA to destroy four cannabis farms where two suspects: Ezekiel Raphael and Gideon Bassey were arrested with a total of 223.5kg processed cannabis recovered.
“A stop-and-search operation along the East/West road, in Ahoada area of Rivers State led to the recovery of 251.4kg of cannabis sativa in a Toyota Sienna bus with Reg No – Abuja YAB 70 BR, and a suspect, Segun Ajayi arrested, while 161.4kg were equally recovered, from a Toyota Camry saloon car with Reg No- Abuja RBC 590 BQ.
In Akwa Ibom, an attempt by a trans-border trafficker, Edet Osu James, 44, to export 2.4kg cocaine concealed in two large tins of powdered milk to Cameroon was foiled by officers of the Marine unit of the agency on Thursday, October 13 during an outward clearance of vessels going to Cameroon from Oron.
Similarly, in Imo State, no fewer than 10,690 pills of tramadol were intercepted during stop and search operations along Owerri-Onitsha road with three suspects: Saadu Usman; Godwin Emeka and Emeka Obijihe arrested in follow-up efforts on Thursday, October 13.
Emeka Obijihe was already standing trial for a similar offence for which he was arrested on May 9, 2022 and was on court bail when he was, again, arrested last Thursday for trafficking 6.5kg of tramadol.
In Jigawa State, operatives recovered 67,300 pills of exol-5 and tramadol at Dansure/Roni junction while in Kogi State, a total of 46,100 pills of the same opioids were seized along Okene-Abuja highway on Thursday, October 13.
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