The Eagle Online

Navy seizes 193 bags of Indian hemp from 24-year-old Ghanaian

The Nigerian Navy Ship BEECROFT handed over 193 bags of seized substance suspected to be Indian Hemp to the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Tuesday.

The Commander, NNS BEECROFT, Commodore Rafiu Oladejo, disclosed the arrest and seizure to newsmen.

He said a Naval patrol team seized the bags, weighing 38kg each, from a 24-year-old Ghanaian, Emmanuel Asamani, off Badagry Coast on March 16.

Oladejo said Asamani claimed not to know the destination to which he was ferrying the illicit drugs, but expressed optimism that the NDLEA would get to the root of it all during investigation.

He noted that there were inherent health dangers in the use of narcotics aside the fact that their use had led to increased crimes.

“Proceeds of sale of narcotics are often used to sponsor crimes in the maritime space and on land,” Oladejo said.

Receiving the contraband and the suspect, Commander of Narcotics, NDLEA Marine Command, Paul Ahom, appreciated NNS BEECROFT for taking the lead in policing crime and drug trafficking in Nigeria’s waterways.

Ahom said: “The Navy is the leading agency in the interception of drugs among maritime law enforcement agencies in Nigeria

“We need to ascertain the source of the drug and identify the syndicate behind the ferrying of drugs from Ghana and Togo via the Republic of Benin to Nigeria.”