NDLEA FCT nabs 147 drug dealers, seizes $1.9m in 1 month … as Canada legalises Marijuana

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), FCT Command, said on Tuesday that it arrested 147 suspected drug dealers and seized various consignments of drugs.

Mrs Chinyere Obijuru, Commander, NDLEA FCT Command, told newsmen in Abuja that the command in its sting operation that commenced on September 1 also seized fake 100 dollar bills amounting to One Million, nine hundred thousand dollars.

Obijuru said that the crackdown on drug peddlers became necessary in view of its menace and because of the close relationship between drugs and criminal activities.

She added that the raid on drug black spots was a joint operation with other sister agencies like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as well as the Department of State Security (DSS).

Some of the drugs that were seized by NDLEA and those arrested during the raids

“The special operation is consistent with the strong determination of the leadership of Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (Rtd) to suppress the disturbing drug menace not only in the FCT but in the entire Country.

“I am happy to inform you this morning that residents of the FCT can now heave a sigh of relief from the activities of drug criminals.

“The operation, code named “Operation Shara” led to the arrest of 147 drug suspects and users. Total drug seizures are 496 kilograms of Cannabis sativa and 63 cartons of cough syrup with codeine which has been banned from production in the country.

“Other seizures include Cocaine, Rhonhynol (Roche), Tramadol, Diazepam and Exol.

“Investigation also led to the recovery of 1, 908, 400 fake US Dollars belonging to one Solomon Abu, currently at large, at the gate house of lBB International Golf Club.

“The money has been transferred to the FCT Command of the Nigeria Police Force.

“Some of the kingpins arrested in connection with the drugs are Uba Clifford, Dauda Elisha, Abubakar Audu and Mohammed Adamu.

“The operations were carried out in Lokogoma, Torabora, Garki, Abattoir Karu, Aminu Kano Crescent, Wuse Zone 4, Ademola Adetokunibo Street, Wuse 11 and Mpappe, among other places,” she said.

Obijuru said that residents of the affected areas have been commending the NDLEA whose men are still combing the FCT, saying that business activities had improved with the absence of the drug peddlers.

The NDLEA Commander assured that the operation would not be a one-time operation but would be sustained until the drug cartel in the FCT is defeated.

“I would like to assure you of the sustainability of this onslaught. We will continue to put the drug criminals under check with special Operations at regular intervals in

“Permit me to express our profound appreciation to the Honourable Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Alhaji Muhammad Musa Bello for his passionate commitment to riding the FCT of drug malady.

“We appeal to members of the public to assist the Agency with useful information on drug activities 0 curb the drug menace in the FCT. The NDLEA will not relent in her mandate of reducing the drug scourge in the country,” she said.

She called on residents not to hesitate in reporting any suspected activities of drug dealers and takers to the Agency through their mobile phone number: 09029011535.

She also appealed to government at all levels to fund the building and operation of rehabilitation centres stressing that the Agency strives to help drug abusers not just criminalise them.

Most of those arrested were young people one of whom was an immediate passed member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), who used his uniform as disguise to sell drugs.

Meanwhile, nearly a century of marijuana prohibition came to an end Wednesday as Canada became the first major Western nation to legalise and regulate its sale and recreational use.

The change was praised by pot enthusiasts and investors in a budding industry that has seen pot stocks soar on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges, but sharply questioned by some health professionals and opposition politicians.

“We’re not legalising cannabis because we think it’s good for our health. We’re doing it because we know it’s not good for our children,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on the eve of the reform.

“We know we need to do a better job to protect our children and to eliminate or massively reduce the profits that go to organised crime.”

The Cannabis Act, which fulfils a promise Trudeau made in the 2015 election campaign, makes Canada only the second nation after Uruguay to legalise the drug.

Its implementation will be scrutinised and dissected by Canadians ahead of the next election in 2019, as well as other nations that the prime minister has said may follow suit if the measure proves a success.

Trudeau himself admitted in 2013 to having smoked pot five or six times in his life, including at a dinner party with friends after being elected to parliament.

He has also said that his late brother Michel was facing marijuana possession charges for a “tiny amount” of pot before his death in an avalanche in 1998, and that this influenced his decision to propose legalising cannabis.

But Trudeau’s office told AFP he “does not plan on purchasing or consuming cannabis once it is legalised.”

In total, Statistics Canada says 5.4 million Canadians will buy cannabis from legal dispensaries in 2018 — about 15 percent of the population. Around 4.9 million already smoke.

Stores in St. John’s in the Atlantic island province of Newfoundland were due to open their doors to pot enthusiasts as of 12:01 am local time (0231 GMT) on Wednesday.

“I’m going to have a lot more variety than the black market dealers, so you have a lot more choice at our store. The prices are very comparable,” Thomas Clarke, owner of THC Distribution store, told public broadcaster CBC just prior to the big event.

Under the new regulations, Canadians at least 18 or 19 years old (soon to be 21 in Quebec) will be allowed to buy up to 30 grams of cannabis, and grow up to four plants at home.

A patchwork of private and public cannabis retail stores and online sales have been set up across the 13 provinces and territories, ramping up to 300 storefronts by year’s end, the government predicts.

To meet demand, hundreds of growers have been licensed, some taking over horticulture and floriculture greenhouses.

This new industry has attracted billions in funding, as well as interest from alcohol and soft drink makers such as Constellation Brands and Coca-Cola, respectively, which have expressed an interest in developing cannabis infused drinks.

Cannabis sales are forecast to boost economic growth by up to Can$1.1 billion and provide a Can$400 million tax revenue windfall for the government, according to Statistics Canada.

Public health officials contend that smoking cannabis is as harmful as tobacco, but welcome what they call the opportunity that legalisation affords for open dialogue.

Some doctors, however, remain wary. Diane Kelsall, editor in chief of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, called legalisation “a national, uncontrolled experiment in which the profits of cannabis producers and tax revenues are squarely pitched against the health of Canadians.”

Police, meanwhile, are scrambling to prepare for a predicted uptick in drug-impaired driving.

It’s unclear as yet if the new framework will succeed in undercutting the black market, as prices for illicit pot have plunged in the last year to an average of Can$6.79 per gram, and most sellers had planned to charge more.

Bill Blair, a former police chief in Toronto who is Trudeau’s point man for pot legalisation, remains optimistic.

“For almost a century, criminal enterprises had complete control of this market, 100 percent of its production and distribution and they profited in the billions of dollars each year. I suspect they’re not going to go gently into the night,” he told AFP.

“But the fact that some individuals want to cling to a prohibition model that has led to the highest rates of cannabis use of any country in the world is a little shocking to me,” he said.

According to a recent Abacus Data poll published on Monday, 70 percent of Canadians accept or support legalisation.

© 2018, maritimemag. All rights reserved.