Oyo NDLEA intercepts 532kg of cannabis sativa

The Oyo State command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency has intercepted 532 kilogrammes of compressed cannabis sativa, popular called skunk inside the bush at Ayete town in Oyo State. Skunk is a type of powerful and strong-smelling marijuana.

Speaking with Crime Reports on the seizure, the state commander, Mrs Omolade Faboyede revealed that her command received an intelligence report on Wednesday, August 20, 2014 that some people were moving sacks of the illicit drug through the bush path within Ayete zone into the town.

This, according to Mrs Faboyede, prompted NDLEA officers from Igbo-Ora Area Command of the anti-drug agency to move on surveillance to the bush which was accessed by motorcycles because of its unmotorable state.

The commander stated further that the officer remained in the bush until they sighted a Nissan Sunny car with registration number KTU 158 AH loaded with sacks suspected to contain the illicit drug at about 12.30a.m.

“Immediately the driver of the car saw NDLEA officers, he jumped out of the car and ran into the bush under the cover of darkness. Though our officers went in his pursuit, they could not get him because of the terrain and the fact that it was in the dead of the night,” she added.

On searching the vehicle, it was discovered that it was loaded with 24 sacks of skunk. Crime Reports learnt that 20 of the sacks had 25 packs of compressed skunk in bread loaf size while the remaining four sacks contained uncompressed cannabis sativa.

The drug was suspected to have been brought in from one of the neighbouring countries sharing borders with Nigeria. The smuggling into the country was said to have been made possible by the porous Nigerian borders.

The vehicle conveying the illicit drug was said to have been remodelled in a way that would give room for many sacks to be loaded into it.

Mrs Faboyede assured that efforts were being made to trace the driver of the vehicle with a view to getting him arrested.