Operatives of the Nigeria Drugs and Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) yesterday intercepted a suspected police van loaded with over 700 tonnes of India hemp worth millions of naira in Kano.
The operatives also tracked and detained a long truck conveying sacks of dry fish stocked with cannabis.Conducting journalists round the confiscated illicit drugs yesterday at the state command of the agency, commander of the NDLEA in Kano, Hamza Umar, revealed that two suspects, including the driver were arrested in police uniforms.
According to Hamza, the suspects were caught in a brand new Toyota Hilux masked with security siren and a private plate number, Pilot 1. Hamza hinted that the vehicle, which originated from Esuba, Edo State, was heading to Gezuwa in Yobe State, but was arrested following an intelligence report.
Atfer thorough investigation, the suspects according to NDLEA boss were discovered to have impersonated the police force to scale through security search. “Our men intercepted the vehicle, which was typical of security utility vehicles. The two suspects arrested were found in police uniforms but after interrogation, they confessed the uniforms were gotten to disguise as policemen to evade search at police checkpoint.
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“I am sure if anybody sees them in this vehicle and the security uniform, nobody will dare to stop them. But from intelligence gathering, we were able to detect and arrest them. Investigation is still ongoing to unravel the sponsors of the drug suspects,” Hamza explained.
Although journalists were barred from unmasking the identities of the suspects, one of the suspects confessed that he got the police uniform from a serving police officer in Port Harcourt. “We use to carry the Indian helm once every month from Edo to Yobe. The last trip I went, they paid me N150,000 and this tour I was promised to paid N200,000,” he confessed.
The NDLEA boss further told newsmen that the truck carrying Ebonyi State government vehicle document with plate number NKE41LG, was loaded with 64kg of cannabis stocked into bags of dry fish.
He explained that the truck was coming from Ebonyi and was heading to Libiya, adding that four suspects, including the principal suspect, had been arrested.He noted the command in the last four months had intercepted 1123.284kg of cannabis sativa, 3,307.903kg psychotropic substance and 20 grammes of cocaine.
