By Dawda Baldeh
The Drug Law Enforcement Agency has detained at least three Nigerian citizens for possessing illegal drugs.
The agency stated that the suspects’ capture was facilitated through cooperation with other partners after receiving intelligence regarding the intended smuggling of drugs from India.
“The Directorate of Operation worked together with other partners at the airport and executed an intelligence-led sting operation that led to the arrest of three (3) Nigerian nationals and the seizure of 40,227 ecstasy tablets.
“The operation commenced in late November 2024 after the Agency’s CTI command received intelligence about the planned smuggling of illicit drugs into the country from India,” DLEAG said.
Moreover, the agency highlighted that it collaborated with other entities, including the Agency’s Airport Command, Gambia Revenue Authority Airport Command, and officers at Amdalai to oversee the situation.
“To evade arrest upon receiving the package, the sender intentionally provided a false address and fictitious telephone numbers on the package,” the agency said in a report.
However, the agency continued to monitor the unclaimed package (at Red Coat) while another team was assigned to track any Persons of Interest (POI) related to the case.
“Two (2) of the primary suspects reside in Latrikunda Sabiji and Bundung in the Kanifing Municipality, while the third lives in Amdalai in the North Bank Region.
“After several weeks of covert operations concerning individuals linked to the unclaimed package, and with sufficient information gathered and analysed, the team dispatched officers on 18th December 2024 to arrest the three suspects, all of whom are Nigerians,” the report indicated.
The suspects are identified as Ikechukweu Livinus Akwusaia, also known as I.K, residing in Amdalai; Ifeanacho Raphael, who lives in Latrikunda Sabiji and operates a restaurant in Bambo; and Sunday Ainbgaoso from Bundung, who runs a shop in Serrekunda.
“They are all in custody,” DLEAG stated, adding that on 19th December 2024, the three suspects were escorted to the Airport where DLEAG and GRA officials opened the unclaimed package and inspected it in their presence.
“Additionally, the contents of the package were weighed and determined to be 26.4 kilograms of ecstasy.
Subsequently, the package was handed over to DLEAG for further investigation.
Further counting at DLEAG’s CTI office confirmed that the package contained forty thousand, two hundred and twenty-seven (40,227) ecstasy tablets.”
Key findings from DLEAG regarding the case reveal the following: I.K. is a nephew of the sender (consignor), who is reportedly named Frayo and resides in India.
Likewise, I.K. was assigned the task of coordinating the clearance of the package.
Ifeanacho Raphael was expected to finance the clearance of the package at the Red Coat airport office.
However, he was unable to gather the required funds to pay an individual who was supposed to clear the package for them.
Sunday Ainbgaoso’s role was to coordinate and physically collect the package from an undisclosed person for a fee believed to be several hundreds of thousands of Dalasis.
The three suspects remain in custody while further investigations into the matter are ongoing, according to the agency.
DLEAG attributed the success of this operation to their enhanced collaboration with various stakeholders to strengthen their efforts against illicit drug activities and expressed appreciation to the Gambia Revenue Authority and the Airport Command for their support.
