The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency 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 788.8 kg of hard drugs within the period under review.

Its commandant in Cross River, Rachael Umebuali, said in Calabar on Friday that the command recorded success in several court cases filed within the period.

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

Speaking on the seized drugs, Ms 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 interagency 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 drug trafficking in the state,” Ms Umebuali said.

 (NAN)