The Bayelsa State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it detained 193 drug users in the state. The arrests were made between July 2022 and June this year, according to the state Commander of the NDLEA, Matthew Ewah, who disclosed this during a press briefing on Saturday as part of the command’s activities to celebrate the 2023 International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Yenagoa.
Ewah said the command seized a total of 88.019 kilogrammes of illicit substances made up of-
Cannabis sativa (54.298kg), cocaine (0.014kg), Heroin (0.027kg), Methamphetamine (0.128kg), Tramadol (1.872kg), Diazepam (6.952kg), Swino/Raphinol (0.023kg), Exol-5 (0.6kg), Pentagocine (1.65kg), mixtures of C/S and alcohol (22.455kg) and ampules of injection.
Ewah further stated that the command filed 32 charges and obtained nine convictions, with 28 pending cases in court.
“Four (suspects) were arrested with three locally-made pistols, one battle axe and 11 cartridges, and transferred to the police. One (case of) kidnap was also transferred to the police”, he stated.
He said the command conducted 150 drug-prevention education sessions. The sessions happened in schools, marketplaces, communities, religious centres, and media outlets as part of its anti-drug initiatives.
cc: Punch Ng
