By Nelson Manneh
In a bid to fight the illegal use, sale and abuse of prohibitive drugs within the country, operatives of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency-The Gambia (DLEAG), have conducted a highly coordinated operation that resulted in the arrest of twenty-nine people and the seizure of significant quantities of prohibited and controlled drugs from diverse locations across the country, from the 29th of April to 7th May 2025.
According to DLEA-G, eighteen suspects were nabbed within the West Coast region; five in Banjul; four in the Kanifing Municipality and the remaining two in the North Bank Region respectively.
Ousman Saidyba, the Public Relations Officer of DLEA-G said twenty-three of those arrested are Gambians; two Senegalese; two Dutch; one Conakry Guinean and one Tunisian national respectively.
“At the same time, four of those arrested are Alleged Child Offenders (ACOs) and those who are Gambian nationals among them, were arrested at Sanchaba in the Kanifing Municipality for their joint possession of seventeen wraps of ‘Kush’. Key among the cases registered was the seizure of one thousand, two hundred and sixty-five pills of suspected ‘ecstasy’ destined for Senegal at the Barra and Banjul ferry terminal respectively,” Mr Saidybah said.
PRO Saidyba said one of the arrested Senegalese nationals was found with seven hundred and ninety pills of ecstasy at the Banjul ferry terminal, but his compatriot was arrested at the Barra ferry terminal with one hundred and thirty pills of ecstasy.
In the same vein, Mr. Saidybah said a Gambian national was also arrested with two hundred pills of ecstasy at the Banjul ferry terminal while another Gambian was arrested at the Mbollet-ba checkpoint in the North Bank Region, with one hundred and forty-five pills of ‘ecstasy’ and four pellets of suspected cocaine. He said all the suspects are currently in custody while further investigations continue in their cases.
