The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kwara command, has arrested three suspects for allegedly being in possession of a prohibited substance suspected to be Indian hemp.

The state commander of NDLEA, Muhammed Ibrahim, confirmed this on Tuesday at a news conference at the agency’s Akerebiata office in Ilorin.

Mr Ibrahim named the suspects as Solomon Sonowo, 24; Abubakar Tijani, 33; and Chidiebere Nwanko, 46.

He added that the agency’s operatives also intercepted psychotropic drugs but failed to provide their street value.

According to him, in the last week, the command’s operatives intercepted 4 kg of cannabis, 3 grammes of meth, and 43 grammes of Swinol from one Mr Sonowo along Bode Sadu in Moro Local Government Area of the state.

He said the operatives found 14 kg of cannabis in Mr Tijani’s possession along the same Bode Sadu axis.

The commander, however, said they arrested Mr Nwanko for allegedly being one of the state’s major distributors of narcotic drugs.

The other consignments seized within the period under review from one Mr Godwin along Adewole Area, Ilorin, included 1.950kg of tramadol, 2.950kg of Diazepam, and 179 grams of Pentazocine.

Mr Ibrahim described the third suspect as an alleged serial drug peddler who recently gained freedom from detention after being arrested in January 2022 for the same crime.

“He faked his name to be Chidi Godwin when he was arrested, but we discovered his real name as shown on his identity card as Nwanko Chidiebere Innocent.

“He sent his consignment from Lagos down to Ilorin through a driver, and we intercepted the vehicle and searched to discover dangerous drugs.

“He does not have any shop; he is not a registered patent medicine practitioner or has any pharmaceutical shop,” he explained.

The NDLEA boss disclosed, “Innocent sells drugs to his customers at his rented apartment and hawks the same with his car as he has no shop.”

The commander, therefore, advised drivers and transporters to always double-check whatever goods were brought to them by their passengers or through waybills to avoid being tagged as accomplices.

Meanwhile, one of the suspects, Mr Nwanko, said he was driven into the illicit drug business because of hardship.

“It is the hardship that pushed me into the drug business, as I have to cater for my wife and children,” he said.

(NAN)