This weekly update highlights illicit drug trafficking and abuse in the Niger Delta. According to data (see map above), more than 60 incidents of illicit drug trafficking and abuse were reported in the Niger Delta between January 2019 and September 2022. Recent data shows the prevalence of illicit drug production and trafficking in the region. In September 2022, for instance, officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) reportedly arrested a 25-year-old pregnant female drug trafficker and seized 82 pinches of methamphetamine in Auchi town, Edo State. Also, in September, NDLEA officials reportedly arrested a 72-year-old male drug trafficker and seized 10 grams of cocaine in Oshimili North LGA, Delta State. In October, anti-narcotics officers reportedly arrested three drug traffickers and seized 690 kilograms of cannabis at Ipele forest in Owo LGA, Ondo State. Few days ago, NDLEA officials reportedly arrested 10 drug trafficking suspects, destroyed cannabis farms and confiscated over 4,800 kilograms of cannabis at different locations in Akoko Edo, Ovia South-West, and Uhunmwonde LGAs in Edo State.

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