Police in the Northern Region have arrested 27 people in a sweeping operation targeting drug peddling and related crimes, authorities said Wednesday.
The Northern Regional Police Command, working with the inspector general’s Special Operations Team, carried out coordinated swoops on Nov. 19 at several drug hotspots in and around Tamale. The operation forms part of a broader nationwide effort to curb narcotics distribution and dismantle criminal networks, police said.
Among those arrested are Iddrisu Abdul Bassit, Iddrisu Sadick, Yawuza Hishan, Yakubu Yussif, Alhassan Abukari, Mutaru Daniel Fisco, Ibrahim Abdul Wakil, Hawa Abdul Rahman, Latifa Iddrisu, Mariam Fuseini, Ibrahim Sadia and Alima Iddrisu. Police said several others picked up during the swoops have yet to be fully identified.
Officers recovered quantities of dried leaves believed to be cannabis, packaged in polythene bags, along with five motorbikes suspected to have been used in transporting or distributing the drugs. Additional operations later in the day in other parts of the Tamale metropolis led to more arrests, bringing the total number of suspects to 27.
All the suspects were handed over to the Northern Regional Drug Law Enforcement Unit for further investigation.
On Nov. 21, nine suspects, five women and four men appeared before the Tamale Circuit Court on charges of possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority. Another suspect was arraigned on charges of unlawful possession of arms and ammunition. Police said all 10 pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.
The remaining 17 suspects have been remanded into police custody as investigations continue, the Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Alhassan Luckman Niendow, said in a statement.
Authorities say the crackdown reflects the police’s ongoing commitment to reducing drug-related crime and maintaining public safety across the Northern Region.
Attached is the statement
