NDLEA Intercepts 200kg Cannabis In False Compartment
The Edo State command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted a shipment of dried weeds suspected to be cannabis sativa at Ehor, Edo State. The drug packed in twenty bags weighing 200kg was ingeniously concealed in a false compartment lined on the inside wall of a dark blue Volkswagen Bus with Anambra registration number ACA 711 XT. The driver of the bus has been arrested in connection with the seized drugs.
A preliminary investigation conducted by the command revealed that the illicit drugs were being conveyed from Iruekpen in Edo State to Uko-Orji in Imo State. The driver of the bus, Ojuneme Festus forty-one (41) years old who lives in Oluku road, Benin City is assisting investigating narcotic officers handling the case. Ojuneme is married with four children and hails from Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State.
In his statement, Ojuneme said that he has been driving for fifteen years but recently began to smuggle cannabis because of lack of a stable job. “I have been driving for the past fifteen years. However, in the past two years, I have been out of a stable employment. It was in the process of looking for food for my family that l accepted to smuggle cannabis. Shortly after l took off, my bus was stopped at Ehor by NDLEA officers on patrol. The drug was well hidden but l was surprised when the officers discovered the drug in a false compartment” Ojuneme stated.
NDLEA Edo State commander, Mr Wakawa Buba while confirming the arrest and seizure commended the arresting officers for detecting the drug despite the clever way it was concealed. “This is a very interesting seizure because ordinarily, it is difficult to detect the drugs considering the manner it was hidden. The bus was empty as it were but it took the superior techniques and experience of the officers to disable the stratagem employed by the drug trafficking cartel. The twenty bags of cannabis were concealed in a false compartment on the inside walls of the bus” Wakawa stated.
The commander warned that drug trafficking cartels shall not go unpunished as the command is working assiduously to detect drugs and apprehend offenders within the State. Meanwhile, the suspect will be diligently prosecuted for unlawful transportation of cannabis under the NDLEA Act while the Bus will be forfeited to the federal government.
