The operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have destroyed and set ablaze over 317,417 kilograms (317.4 metric tons) cannabis recovered at warehouses in Opuje forests in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State.

A 37-year-old police impersonator, Omoruan Theophilus, who parades as a Police Inspector to convey the drugs from the forests to the cities and three others were arrested in connection with the drugs.

The three others arrested were Aigberuan Jacob, 42; Ekeinde Anthony Zaza, 53; and Naomi Patience Ohiewere, 42.

The NDLEA Director, Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this via a statement made available to The Star on Saturday.

Babafemi noted that Opuje community in Edo State is notorious for cannabis cultivation, where the cartels invest huge resources, cutting down economic trees of the forest reserves and cultivating cannabis on a large scale, running into hundreds of hectares.

He stated that after harvest, the drug dealers build warehouses inside the forest reserves and employ armed youths to protect the warehouses.

“Accessing the forest on Wednesday 18th January took hours of trekking by hundreds of NDLEA operatives who were ambushed with bonfire by armed youths on their way out of the community the following day but were able to successfully leave the area without any casualty except the heavy investment losses inflicted on the cartels,” the NDLEA spokesperson added.

In his reaction, the NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd), commended the officers of the anti-drug agency for the arrests and seizures.

The Star