A 53-year-old Nigerian, Celestine Godwin, has been arrested in The Gambia with 9,020 ecstasy tablets, suspected cannabis ruderalis, popularly known as skunk, and a machine believed to have been used to manufacture and process illicit drugs.
The development was disclosed by the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia, in a statement posted on Facebook and signed by its Public Relations Officer, Dawda Sanyang, on Friday.
The agency said the arrest represented a significant breakthrough in its fight against illicit drug trafficking, particularly as the discovery of the suspected drug-manufacturing equipment was the first of its kind recorded by the agency.
According to the statement, “a 53-year-old Nigerian national Celestine Ikenna Godwin” was arrested “in possession of 9,020 ecstasy tablets some quantities of suspected cannabis ruderalis (skunk).”
The agency added that the suspect “was arrested with a machine suspected to be used for manufacturing and processing illicit drugs.”
DLEAG said the discovery raised concerns about the possible establishment of clandestine laboratories for the production of synthetic drugs in the country.
“This development is particularly significant as the discovery of the equipment represents the first case of its kind recorded by the Agency in The Gambia,” the statement said.
