The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has disclosed that its operatives raided the Ujiogba Forest Reserve in Esan West LGA, Edo, and destroyed 7,286kg of skunk and five hectares of its plantation.
The operation was carried out on Wednesday based on credible intelligence that some drug cartels had warehoused the illicit substance inside the forest for distribution to some states ahead of the general elections.
The operation was not without conflict, as the drug dealers engaged in a gunfight with NDLEA operatives.
The agency has been working tirelessly to curb the menace of drug trafficking and abuse across the country. With the forthcoming elections, it has become even more crucial to prevent the circulation of illicit substances that may be used to induce voters.
This latest operation serves as a warning to anyone involved in the illicit drug trade that the agency will not relent in its efforts to rid the country of this menace.
“After the initial resistance, two rifles, spent cartridges of short guns and an empty shell of an AK-47 rifle were recovered while a 24-year-old suspect, Calvary Essien, was arrested. After the gunfight, the NDLEA operatives successfully descended on a big warehouse constructed with wood and zinc containing,” it said.
“Hundred jumbo bags of cannabis sativa weighing 3.2 tons; 5,000 bags of cannabis weighing 65 tons; and 137 bags of cannabis seeds weighing 4.66 tons, totalling 72.86 tons,” the NDLEA revealed. “Seven bags of cannabis and one bag of its seeds were subsequently taken out of the warehouse for further investigation and prosecution of suspects while the rest was set ablaze.”
(NAN)