By Izunna Okafor, Awka
Barely 24 hours after assuming office as the 36th Commissioner of Police in Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji Ama has begun his tenure with a fresh crackdown on suspected criminal elements, as Police operatives raided a suspected hideout in Obosi, Idemili North Local Government Area, arresting two suspected drug dealers and recovering illicit substances valued at N6.2 million.
The operation, which was carried out in the early hours of Tuesday, also led to the recovery of N598,400 in cash, according to the Police Public Relations Officer of the Anambra State Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga.
Ikenga, in a statement issued on Tuesday, said the operation was conducted by operatives of the Command’s Rapid Response Squad, Awkuzu, following credible intelligence on the activities of suspected illicit drug dealers operating in the area.
The suspects were identified as 47-year-old Nzube Onyedikachukwu (popularly known as “Onyeoma”) and 20-year-old Ugochukwu Azia.
The Police said their operatives stormed the suspected criminal hideout in Obosi, where a search of the premises yielded a substantial quantity of substances suspected to be Cannabis sativa, methamphetamine and other illicit drugs.
The recovered substances, according to the Command, have an estimated street value of N6.2 million, while the additional N598,400 recovered from the location is also being subjected to investigation.
The operation also reportedly exposed the location as more than just a suspected drug-dealing point, with preliminary findings indicating that it allegedly served as a meeting point for suspected criminal elements after carrying out their activities.
Some of the suspected criminals at the location were said to have fled when they sighted the Police operatives.
The two arrested suspects, according to the PPRO, have been taken into Police custody as investigation continues into their alleged activities and the wider network behind the operation.
The police spokesman said the Command had launched investigation to establish the source and distribution channels of the suspected illicit drugs, identify other persons connected to the operation and determine the circumstances surrounding the cash recovered.
Recall that the new Commissioner, upon assumption of office, had pledged to strengthen intelligence-led and technology-driven policing, improve operational efficiency and deepen proactive measures against criminal activities across the State.
