Drug agency arrest suspected drug trafficker

News reports monitored on Gambia TV, GRTS revealed officials of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA) have arrested and detained a Nigerian suspected of drug trafficking.

John Agwy, 32, who the NDEA described as uncooperative with investigators was arrested during the early hours of September 14, 2012 at the Banjul International Airport. He had flown into the Gambia on board an Arik Airliner from Nigeria.

Mr. Agwy who the narcotic agency said was on their watch-list was reported to have swallowed 72 pellets of cocaine. He had lived in Gambia for four years.

The spokesperson of the NDEA, Superintendent Abdoulie Ceesay said the suspect had earlier denied being in possession of any substance, but later confess to swallowing pellets of cocaine while under custody and observation. He later excreted the pellets of cocaine.

The narcotic operatives are eager to know the final destination of the suspected cocaine, hoping for more arrests, but lament the suspect is not cooperating at the moment. 

Drug history

On July 3, 2012 Gambia’s National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA) set ablaze 3 tonnes, 15 kilos and 47 grams ofcannabis, 8 kilos and 2 grams of cocaine, and 20 grams of heroin.  

An advocacy group, theYouth Consortium for Progress (YCF) has said in recent years, Gambia has beenplagued by the twin menaces of drug abuse and drug trafficking. 

In 2010, Gambia witnessed its biggest cocaine (more than two tonnes) bust at a warehouse in Bonto village in the West Coast Region which British forensic experts said worth over $1 billion.  

Although the Gambia is not a known money laundering (ML)hub in West Africa, the extent to which the prevalent predicate narcoticoffences are related to money laundering is not clear, West Africa's Inter-governmental Action Group against Money Laundering, GIABA said. 

What is clear is that the proceeds of crime in the country are mainly derived from drug trafficking, bribery and corruption, the tourism industry, foreign exchange transactions, and other related acquisitive crimes.

 

In a controversial report on June 2, the Global Commission on Drug Policy argued the war on drugs has failed globally and suggested that the decriminalization of narcotics like marijuana could help weaken organized gangs.