Operatives of the Sokoto State Police Command have arrested a suspected drug baron and recovered large quantities of hard drugs during a raid on a criminal hideout in the state.

The operation was carried out by the Anti-Kidnapping Unit following credible intelligence on a syndicate supplying illicit substances to bandits and criminal gangs operating in Wamako and Kware LGAs. The raid led to the arrest of the drug supplier alongside suspected bandits and an informant at their camp in Sabon Birni, Kware LGA.

Items recovered from the hideout include dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp and other illicit substances. Video footage recovered from the suspects’ phones reportedly showed them dressed in military uniforms and brandishing rifles inside the camp.

Police said the suspect was supplying hard drugs to the gang, which had been terrorizing communities in the area. The case has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCID, for further investigation, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend fleeing members of the syndicate.

The Sokoto command has intensified its crackdown on drug trafficking, with the NDLEA also reporting major seizures in the state in recent months, including 982.8kg of illicit drugs and 54 cartons of codeine intercepted along the Nigeria-Niger border.

Source: Daily Post Nigeria, Punch Newspapers