By Izunna Okafor, Awka
In a major clampdown on illicit drug activities and other crimes, the Anambra State Police Command has dismantled a drug trafficking network in Isuaniocha, Awka North Local Government Area, leading to the arrest of six suspects, including a female drug dealer, and the recovery of a significant quantity of dried leaves suspected to be hard drugs, alongside other incriminating substances.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Saturday, in which he also disclosed that the operation was carried out in the early hours of Thursday, May 30, 2025. He said the raid was spearheaded by operatives of the Special Cultism Squad, Obosi Sector, acting on credible intelligence about suspicious drug dealings in the community.
According to him, the arrested suspects have been identified as Chinyere Onwuka, a 32-year-old female believed to be a key figure in the syndicate, alongside Chidiebere Onyeze (30), John Kennedy Onwuka (36), Echeazu Nonso (35), Osita Chukwu Chialuka (21), and Nnebedum Wisdom (25). He said all the six suspects were apprehended during the well-coordinated raid on the premises linked to their illicit trade.
SP Ikenga added that the operation was a product of sustained surveillance and intelligence-gathering efforts aimed at ridding the state of criminal networks fueling drug abuse and related crimes.
SP Ikenga further disclosed that the State Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu, has expressed deep concern over the increasing involvement of young people in drug-related activities and the wider societal implications, reiterating that drugs are the oxygen that sustains most criminal behaviours and antisocial tendencies among individuals.
The Commissioner also emphasized the Command’s determination to intensify awareness campaigns against drug abuse and cultism under the Police Campaign Against Cultism and Other Vices (POCACOV) initiative — a program designed to sensitize youths about the destructive consequences of drug use, cultism, and other related vices.
“All six suspects will be transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Awka, for further investigation and necessary legal action,” the statement concluded.
The Anambra State Police Command has reaffirmed its commitment to continue leveraging intelligence, community partnerships, and inter-agency collaboration to make the state safer and free from the grip of criminal networks.
