Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, The Gambia) – The Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia (DLEAG), has apprehended two foreign nationals in separate operations for the possession of ecstasy, signaling heightened efforts by Gambian authorities to combat cross-border drug trafficking.

In the first incident, DLEAG operatives stationed at Banjul International Airport, in collaboration with the Joint Airport Interdiction Task Force (JAITF), arrested 22-year-old Brazilian national Ryan Gabriel Gomes Montoril for being in possession of 16,190 ecstasy pills.

The arrest occurred in the early hours of June 10, 2025, at approximately 03:15 GMT.

Montoril had arrived onboard an Air Maroc flight from Brussels, and the illegal pills were discovered concealed inside a black traveling bag during security checks at the airport’s arrival hall.

In a related but separate operation, DLEAG officers at the Amdalai Border Post arrested 26-year-old Abdoulie Faye, a Senegalese national residing in Kaolack, Senegal. Faye was apprehended at around 15:17 GMT on June 15, 2025, with 100 ecstasy pills hidden in a yellow nylon bag.

Authorities confirmed that both suspects are currently in custody and that further investigations are underway to determine the full extent of their operations and possible links to wider drug trafficking networks.

These arrests underscore DLEAG’s ongoing vigilance at key border entry points in The Gambia amid growing concerns about the region being used as a transit route for international drug trafficking.