The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), has arrested 49 persons for allegedly dealing in illicit drugs.
The agency said the suspects were arrested in 13 local government areas and 18 development areas of the state in the last one year.
According to state Commandant of the NDLEA, Mr. Justice Arinze, who made the disclosure yesterday, the anti-drug agency recovered 93.76kg of cannabis sativa, tramadol weighing 225mg, valium (D5) weighing 1.5kg and rohypnol weighing 500 grams from the suspects.
He said: “A total of 98.067kg of narcotic drugs was seized within the period while 49 drug barons were arrested. Thirty-nine were successfully convicted at the Federal High Court, Lafia. The counselling programme rehabilitated 245 users.”
The NDLEA chief bemoaned the high rate of drug abuse in the state, adding that abusers had resorted to using other psychoactive substances because of the effective and successful ban on codeine. This, he said resulted in increase in the number of addicts counselled and rehabilitated.
Arinze also disclosed that drug free clubs had been established in some secondary schools and tertiary institutions in the state in line with programme of the United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking on June 26 to sensitise the public on the dangers of drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking in the state.
