BY VINCENT UJUMADU

AWKA – THE National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, in Anambra State said it has arrested 280 suspects for various drug related offences between January and December last year.
 
State Commander of NDLEA, Mr. Zikiye Teminipre who gave the figure weekend while addressing newsmen at  the Command Headquarters in Onitsha stated that out of the number, 247 were male, while 33 were female.
 
According to him, the suspects were arrested in different locations within and outside the state, adding that their offences ranged from drug trafficking to consumption.
 
He said: “The illicit drugs recovered from the suspects included cannabis weighing over two tons during raids by the agency in different parts of the state.
 
“Out of the total seizure, the army intercepted a bus conveying 447.3 kg of cannabis and transferred same to us after their preliminary investigations. We also made a seizure weighing 486.9grammes of cocaine and 21.6g of heroine.”
  
Teminipre said that the command is also involved in the rehabilitation of suspects who are considered sick as a result of the illegal consumption of drugs, with a view to getting them integrated into the society.
 
He said that the command had secured conviction for 30 suspects, adding that 74 of the suspects charged to court were male, while seven were female.
   
He described inadequate manpower in the NDLEA as one of the major challenges facing the agency in the country and called for proper funding of the agency to be able to fight the illicit drug trafficking.