The Edo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, has arrested 39 suspected drug traffickers in the State.

The command also destroyed two large cannabis farms and seized over 1,303.8858 kilograms of illicit drugs in May, 2025.

The Edo State Commander of the agency Mitchell Ofoyefu, disclosed this on Monday during the presentation of his first monthly operational scorecard in Benin City.

Ofoyefu said 18 males and 21 females were arrested during several raid operations in the state.

He added that two cannabis farms measuring 0.782961 hectares were discovered in the Uzebba and Ohosu forests in Owan West and Ovia South West local government areas, respectively.

He also added that during the operation, a cannabis farm measuring 0.265874 hectares was destroyed in the Uzebba forest while another 0.517087 hectares was destroyed in Ohosu.

The Edo State Commander gave the breakdown of the seized drugs to include cannabis sativa, 1,133.337 kilograms; psychotropic substances, 118.4986 kilograms; methamphetamines, 0.14103 kilograms; cocaine, 0.0024 kilograms; codeine cough syrup, 65.7 litres; and pentazocine, 2,000 millilitres.

He said he has the mandate of NDLEA Chairman, Mohammed Marwa, to trace and dismantle cannabis cultivating syndicates.

“I have the mandate of the chairman and CEO of the agency to also extend the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) campaign to young adults and adolescents in schools, churches, and mosques.

“Above all, we are to engage in targeted prevention and education campaigns to mitigate drug and substance use.

“We are launching a robust public awareness initiative to educate the community members about the perils of drug abuse and the importance of seeking early help,” he said.