NDLEA arrests 200 drug traffickers in Ebonyi

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)  Ebonyi state command, Monday said it arrested about 200 drug traffickers  in the state between January and October 2019.

State deputy commander in charge of operations,  Mohammed Bashiri Ibrahim,  stated in Abakaliki while fielding questions from journalists shortly after a lecturer at a training workshop for members of neighbourhood watch, Ebonyi state security outfit.

Mr Ibrahim noted that drug trafficking was on the increase as his office had recorded high infiltration of drugs in the state.

He said, “From January to October, we have arrested about 200 drug traffickers and the cases are going on in court. I think this year alone, we have secured about 35 convictions of drug offenders and we are still counting. Just on 22 of this month, that was last week, we arrested 189kg of cannabis. The same day we arrested over 200 pinches of cocaine and 150 heroin within the town just in a single day.”

“The course, availability of the drugs, the state is growing, and development is coming to Ebonyi. The governor is building structures and what do you expect? People are coming in to do business.  You see all these people that work at site; they want to take drugs. So, people come to do marketing. Ebonyi is like an emerging state, so you expect drug infiltration into the state.

“And look at the border points between Ebonyi and Cross River and Cameron, some of them pass through Cross River while some remain in the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Border Peace, Mr Stanley Okoro –Emeagha, has said drug trafficking activities in the state has been reduced to its barest minimum.

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