Troops arrest suspected members of drug syndicate with 296 wraps of Indian hemp

Troops of 192 Battalion, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, on Sunday, intercepted two suspected members of a transnational drug syndicate with illicit substances suspected to be cannabis sativa also known as Indian hemp

The Director of Army Public Relations, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

He said the suspects were intercepted along the Balogun border in Ogun State with a Sienna 2001 Model Space Bus loaded with the illicit substances.

He added that the troops conducted a thorough search on the vehicle and detected layers of compartments packed with 296 wraps of substance suspected to be marijuana.

The spokesman said: “Preliminary investigation revealed that the wraps of illicit substance were transported from Benin Republic, through Ilara border communities en route Ifo, Ogun.

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“It was further revealed that it took the transnational drug traffickers five months to conceal the substance for delivery to their clients.

“Two suspects were arrested in connection to the crime.

“The suspects, identified as one Mr. Adigun Olatunji, age 54 years, and Mr. Michael Atanda aged 18 years, both from Ilara Imeko in Afun Local Government Area of Ogun, reside in Benin Republic.

“They have been taken into custody for further necessary actions, after a failed attempt to bribe troops with the sum of N12 million.

“Other items recovered from the suspects include one Benin Republic National ID Card, one Nigerian National ID Card and two small ITEL mobile phones.

“Also recovered are one Benin Republic driver’s license, a Benin Republic International Passport, six Benin Republic SIM packs, two Benin Republic SIM cards, one Nigerian driver’s license, one power bank, and one MP3 player.

“Additionally, a memory card, local charms, as well as the sum of N52,700 were recovered from the suspects.”

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