NDLEA arrests 274 drug dealers, seizes 788.8kg of drugs

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) command in Cross River says 274 suspected drug dealers were arrested in the state in 2024.

The command said it also made a total seizure of 788.8kg of hard drugs within the period under review.

The state commandant, Rachael Umebuali made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar on Friday.

She said that the command recorded success in some number of court cases filed within the period.

The commandant explained that the Cross River command secured a total of 38 convictions in 2024, and had a Toyota Previa bus forfeited to the federal government.

Speaking on the seized drugs, Umebuali said the figures were more than that recorded in 2023 and consisted of hemp, cocaine, meth, and heroin.

She bemoaned the rising cases of drug abuse among the youths, adding that vehicles and motorbikes are being used mostly by peddlers for transporting the banned substances.

“Our operations are hampered primarily by inadequate operational vehicles, inaccessible and bad roads, especially during the rainy season, cultism and communal crisis.

“While we are faced with paucity of funds, we also have challenges of inter agency cooperation, internal and external saboteurs and the unwillingness of host communities to cooperate with the agency in the area of information sharing.

“The command needs vehicles and other sundry logistics to be able to function optimally in the area of combating drugs trafficking in the state,” Umebuali said.