The Edo State Sector Commander of the Nigeria Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, Mr. Okey Ihebom, has stated that the command will destroy more than 750,000 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa from some suspected drug barons operating in the state.

Ihebom stated that the total volume of cannabis known as Indian hemp seized by the operatives of the command, also involved about 985 bags of the hard drugs from an Owan-based drug baron, who is currently facing prosecution at the Federal High Court, Benin.

Speaking to journalists in Benin on Wednesday, the NDLEA Zonal Commander stated that the owner of the 985 bags of drugs loaded them in a heavy truck and was taking them to Abe, a community in Delta State, when operatives of the agency arrested him and impounded the truck with registration number Edo XM 105 BEN and its contents.

He said that those involved in the illicit trade were so desperate that they used cars with tinted glasses and police registration numbers.

The NDLEA boss said this was revealed with the arrest of some suspects in three Peugeot 406 salon cars with police registration numbers and tinted glasses.

He said that the desperation was such that a drug peddler, who was also being prosecuted, was arrested while using a plate number of a Deputy Inspector-General of Police to convey drugs to some destinations in the state.

According to him, operatives of the NDLEA arrest an average of 10 drug traffickers with not less than three tons of hard drugs every month.

He said some of these suspects were facing prosecution while others found to be addicted to the consumption of the hard drugs, were made to go through counselling and rehabilitation.