The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Niger on Friday said that it had seized 400 kilogramme of suspected cannabis sativa (Marijuana) in Kontagora area of the state.
Mr Iweajunwa Joseph, the state NDLEA Commander, made this known while displaying the suspected hemp to journalists in Minna.
He said that two suspects were arrested on Wednesday and were undergoing investigation in connection with the seized drugs.
“The arrest we have made linked the exhibits to a trans-national cannabis trade route because it originated from Benin Republic and came into Nigeria through the border with Oyo state.
“From there to Sokoto state and then Niger Republic. That is crossing three different countries in the West African region,’’ he said.
Joseph, who said the suspects were arrested after a tip off, gave their names as Ahmadu Isa, 35, and Mohammed Umar, 39.
He explained that the exhibits were packed inside 18 different sacks and concealed inside another sack of melon each.
The agency’s commander said that the suspects would be charged to court as soon as investigations were concluded.
Also speaking, one of the suspects, Isa, a truck driver, said that Umar called him to come and load the drug pretending it was melon.
Isa said that Umar told him that the bags contained melons “but when we were arrested it turned out to be hemp.’’
He said that they succeeded in the first and second trips before luck ran out on them in the third trip.
