By Ovat Abeng
The Special Anti-Touting Squad Agency (SASA) in Anambra State has destroyed fake drugs worth over N50 million following a major enforcement operation in Awka and its surrounding communities.
The exercise according to Karen James, the Public Relations Officer of the agency who disclosed this in a statement in Awka on Monday, forms part of the agency’s intensified crackdown on drug trafficking, touting, and other criminal activities across Anambra State.
She said described the operation as one of the agency’s most significant anti-drug raids in recent times, led to the arrest of several suspected notorious drug dealers and buyers.
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The suspects, along with the recovered exhibits, were subsequently handed over to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further investigation and prosecution.
The raid targeted several locations allegedly being used as distribution points for illicit drugs.
During the operation, operatives recovered a large quantity of dangerous substances from the suspects’ hideouts, including the locally known “Mmiri Ọgwụ” (popularly called “Mkpurummiri”), cocaine, cannabis (commonly known as weed), Loud, and other prohibited narcotic substances.
According to James, the suspects were apprehended while allegedly engaging in the sale and purchase of the illicit substances.
The seized drugs, with an estimated street value of over ₦50 million, were confiscated during the operation. Following the completion of the necessary legal procedures and documentation, the recovered narcotics were publicly destroyed by fire to prevent them from finding their way back into circulation.
The agency further disclosed that, after preliminary investigations, the suspects were arraigned before a court of competent jurisdiction and remanded in a correctional facility pending the continuation of legal proceedings.
Reacting to the development, the Managing Director of SASA, Hon. Monday Nwokoye, reaffirmed the agency’s unwavering commitment to eliminating drug abuse, touting, and other criminal activities across Anambra State.
He appealed to residents to remain vigilant and support security agencies by providing timely and credible information that would assist in the fight against crime.
