A suspected drug baron said to be on the wanted list of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has been apprehended in Nasarawa State, The Nation Newspaper reports.
The Agency said Sami Ashoko, 39, was arrested when operatives raided his warehouse where 100 bags of Indian hemp weighing 1,095.3kg were seized.
NDLEA Director, Media & Advocacy Femi Babafemi said it was the largest singular hemp seizure since 1999.
Babafemi said members of another cartel in Iyamho, Etsako West Local Government area of Edo state were also arrested with a combined consignment of cannabis weighing 1,330kg.
They were arrested on Friday with the illicit drug on its way to Bauchi for Easter sales, he said in a statement.
Babafemi said Ashoko, who hails from Ibilo in Akoko Edo area of Edo State, was arrested in Shinge, Lafia based on “actionable intelligence.”
“According to the Commander, Nasarawa State Command of the NDLEA, Justice Arinze, ‘Sami Ashoko is the most wanted drug baron who has been on our watch list in Nasarawa State. This seizure has beaten the previous record of 45 bags weighing about half ton recovered in January 2021 as the highest singular seizure of cannabis since the inception of the Command in 1999.”
