NDLEA Arrests 68 Suspected Drug Traffickers, Seizes 7,500kg in Edo

(Some of The Suspects With the Exhibits. Photo Credit: NDLEA)

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency in Edo State has arrested 68 suspected drug traffickers and seized over 7,500 kilograms of illegal drugs during August.

The commander, Mitchell Ofoyeju, announced this in a statement on Thursday.

The operation resulted in the arrest of 34 men and 34 women involved in drug trafficking.

The equal number of men and women arrested shows that drug dealing does not favour one gender over the other.

Officers also seized a huge amount of illegal drugs and destroyed cannabis farms across the state.

The seized drugs included mostly cannabis, along with smaller amounts of other dangerous substances and codeine syrup.

Ofoyeju said the command's work during August proves its strong commitment to fighting drug trafficking in the state.

The agency also targeted drug production by destroying four cannabis farms in different locations across Edo State.

Each farm was carefully measured, and the estimated amount of cannabis that would have been harvested was calculated.

The total size of all four farms was about 2.5 hectares.

Ofoyeju said officers will continue working with community leaders, media organisations and other law enforcement agencies to keep citizens safe from drugs.

Beyond arrests and seizures, the command is also helping people struggling with drug use.

Its counselling unit has provided help to 23 people, while 12 others were enrolled in skills training programmes like tailoring and soap-making.

The command also held five awareness campaigns that reached more than 2,000 men and women.

The commander said three new cases were charged to court, while 87 others are still pending because the Federal High Court was on vacation.

No convictions were recorded during the period.