THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Anambra State Command, has said that Indian hemp dealers in the state use siren to beat security operatives.
The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr. Sule Momodu, made the disclosure on Monday during the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking held in Awka, the state capital.
He said “It took our professional training to discoverer this criminal act. These criminals use expensive cars with sirens and tinted glasses to carry this substance.
Momodu said the agency had impounded three of such vehicles carrying cannabis sativa weighing over 923 kilograms.
According to him, the agency had secured 24 convictions of drug offenders in the state this year while 142 of such cases were pending in courts.
The command, he added, had arrested no fewer than 156 drug offenders in the state between January and June.
Those arrested, he explained, were 146 males and 10 females.
The NDLEA boss commended Governor Willie Obiano for his assistance, saying the governor’s aid had encouraged the agency to accomplish a number of feats.
He, however, regretted that the lack of vehicles had continued to impede the agency’s operations.
On the increasing cases of drug abuse and trafficking in the state, especially among the youths, he blamed parents for the involvement of youths in drug abuse, noting that most parents had failed to pay attention to their children to understand their worries.
“If we listen to them (children) and understand their problems and worries as they grow, we will be better able to identify their problems early enough before they go out of hand,” Momodu said.
He called for the establishment of a Drug Rehabilitation Centre in the state, saying that dependence on drug was a disease and not a crime.
“Unless we reduce the demand for illicit drugs, we cannot tackle drug-related issues effectively,” he said.
In another development, the Cross River State Command of National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency says it has secured the conviction of 47 persons with drug-related offences.
The state Commander of NDLEA, Mrs. Anthonia Edeh, made the disclosure in Calabar on Sunday.
Edeh said the number was part the 200 suspects, including 176 males and 24 females, arrested by the state command within the last one year.
She said, “Forty-seven convictions were secured at the Federal High Court Calabar in respect of suspects with drug-related offences.”
She said exhibits recovered from suspects during the period stood at 501.3498 kilograms.
“The command also counselled and rehabilitated a total of 90 drug dependent persons back to the society under the drug demand reduction activities,” she stated,” she said and called on the public to always volunteer information on activities of drug barons.
Edeh solicited the support of the Cross River State Government in the fight against drug abuse.
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