Rivers State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), yesterday, said that the agency has secured the conviction of 119 drug offenders, just as there are 115 pending cases at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, River State as at December 2022.

The Command added that the convicts are at present serving various jail terms at the Correctional Service Centre, Port Harcourt.

The Command, in a statement by its Deputy State Commander, Media & Advocacy, Emmanuel Ogbumgbada, said its operatives arrested 312 suspects comprising 256 males and 56 females with hard drugs weighing 2,332kg (2.332 tonnes), such as cocaine, heroin, Cannabis Sativa, methamphetamine (aka Mkpurunmiri), tramadol, Diazepam, and other psychotropic substances.

Ogbumgbada said the Command also successfully rehabilitated 40 drug-dependent persons in its makeshift rehabilitation centre, aside conducting an anti-drug abuse campaign in schools, communities, among other groups in Rivers State.

He, however, stated that “The State Commander, Ahmed Mamuda, while expressing appreciation to the people of Rivers State for collaborating with NDLEA in the fight against drug abuse in 2022 advised Rivers people to continue to partner with the agency in 2023 so that together we can stamp out drug menace from our society.”