COURT CONVICTS 51 PERSONS FOR DRUG RELATED OFFENCES IN IMO — NDLEA

REPORTER: UGONNA AGU

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Imo State Command, says it confiscated a total of 1471.314 kg of drugs, arrested 218 drug suspects and destroyed some hectars of cannabis farm from July 2021 to June 2022.

The State Commander, Mr. Ruben Apeh, announced this while speaking with journalists at the state command headquarters in commemoration of the 2022 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking.

Mr. Apeh listed the seized drugs and they include 1,458.459kg of cannabis sativa, 3.896kg of methamphetamine, 3.184kg of tramadol alongside other drugs like cocaine, heroin, rohypnol and diazepam.

The Imo State NDLEA Commander said among the 218 suspects arrested, 171 were males while 47 were females, including aged women who traded on drugs.

Hr noted that many of the suspects arrested were arraigned at the federal high court in the state, 51 were convicted for drug related offences, while 145 cases are still ongoing.

He noted that within the period under review, 30 drug users were counseled, 9 were successfully rehabilitated and discharged, while 7 others are still undergoing rehabilitation at the Command’s make-shift rehabilitation center.

Speaking on the 2022 theme of the celebration: “Addressing drug challenges in health and humanitarian crisis,” Mr. Apeh said it aimed to address existing and transitional drug challenges stemming from crisis situations.

He said the theme also intended to protect the right to health and to proffer solutions to tackling drug problems with evidence based prevention, treatment and care in times of crisis.

The United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) set aside June 26 yearly as World Day against Drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking to spread the message about the extreme cultural and economic harm the trade and consumption of drug cause across the globe.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU