Operatives of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia (DLEAG) have intensified their operational activities aimed at disrupting the illicit flow, trafficking, and dealing in prohibited and controlled drugs. In a recent operation, the Brusubi field office of the DLEAG made a significant breakthrough, taking into custody three individuals for drug trafficking-related offenses.

The arrested individuals include 33-year-old Samuel Williams and 28-year-old Mustapha Trawally, both Sierra Leonean nationals, as well as 20-year-old Alieu Bah, a Gambian national. They were apprehended at Guinea garage in Bundung on the 29th of February 2024, around 16:00 hours GMT, with two big bundles of suspected kush and one thousand tablets of 225 milligrams of tramadol hydrochloride.

This seizure marks the single biggest seizure of kush since its advent in the local illicit drug market. Additionally, the strength of the tramadol seized is the highest encountered so far.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver of a white Peugeot vehicle with registration number AG 6800 was contracted to transport the drugs from Sierra Leone to The Gambia for two hundred United States Dollars (200 USD). The driver, along with two other individuals who were supposed to receive the drugs in The Gambia, was arrested.

The seizure of tramadols with a strength of 225 milligrams is particularly concerning, as it indicates the complex and unregulated nature of the illicit drug market. This highlights the need for a thorough review of the drug situation to better understand the underlying factors causing severe medical complications arising from drug abuse.

The DLEAG emphasized that most drugs in the illicit drug market are produced in clandestine laboratories without quality standards and control. This makes it difficult to know the chemical composition, potential effects, and contra-indications of these drugs. The agency called on the public, especially the youth, to value their lives and make healthy choices by staying away from drug abuse and all forms of drug-related activities.