Akwa Ibom state Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has disclosed that it had arrested 272 suspects and seized 339.818kg of hard drugs between January and December 2021.
The suspects were 233 males and 39 females, while the hard drugs recovered included 311.2477kg of cannabis sativa, 1.2581kg of cocaine.
Others were 0.2882kg heroin, 0.0545kg of crystal meth and 26.970kg of psychotropic substance.
NDLEA state commander Mrs. Obot Bassey made the disclosure during a press conference on Friday in Uyo.
She said the Command also convicted 39 persons made up of 37 males and two females with the maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
“Of spectacular note was the seizure of 1.2kg of cocaine in Akwa Ibom state being the highest seizure in 18 years. The hard drug prevalent in the state is cannabis sativa, locally referred to as ikongekpo. There are also cases of the abuse of psychotropic substances such as tramadol, diazepam, codeine, rohypnol, exol 5 among others,” she said.
Bassey, who said crystal meth addiction in particular was the most difficult to treat, added that it “causes irregular heartbeats, irregular body temperature, violent behavior and even death.”
She said the agency would continue to ensure that the state was free from hard drugs, warning drug addicts to desist from such behaviour.
