Nigerian Man Arrested in Gambia With 9020 Ecstasy Tablets

(Seized drugs. Photo credit: DLEAG)

Celestine Godwin, a 53-year-old Nigerian, was caught in The Gambia with 9,020 ecstasy tablets, suspected cannabis ruderalis, sometimes known as skunk, and an equipment thought to have been used to manufacture and process illegal substances.

The Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia announced the development in a Facebook posting signed by its Public Relations Officer, Dawda Sanyang, on Friday.

The agency stated that the arrest was a significant step forward in its fight against illicit drug trafficking, especially since the agency discovered the suspected drug-manufacturing equipment for the first time.

According to the statement, “a 53-year-old Nigerian national Celestine Ikenna Godwin” was arrested “in possession of 9,020 ecstasy tablets and some quantities of suspected cannabis ruderalis (skunk).”

According to the agency, the suspect “was arrested with a machine suspected of being used for manufacturing and processing illicit drugs.”

According to DLEAG, the discovery has aroused worries about the possibility of clandestine facilities producing synthetic pharmaceuticals 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 added.

It also stated that the development created “serious concerns about the potential establishment of local clandestine laboratories for the production of synthetic drugs,” emphasizing the changing nature of the region’s drug-trafficking danger.

The agency stated that the seizure of the drugs and equipment demonstrated its commitment to combating not only the transportation of illicit substances into The Gambia, but also attempts to build local drug-production facilities.

“The drug seizure together with the processing equipment demonstrates the Agency’s determination to disrupt not only the movement of illicit drugs into the country, but also any attempts to establish facilities for drug production,” DLEAG commented.

Godwin is still in the agency’s custody as investigations continue.

DLEAG said investigators were seeking to identify and dismantle any networks or individuals associated with the scheme.

“The suspect remains in the Agency’s custody as investigations continue while the investigators pursue all necessary measures to identify and dismantle networks or individuals connected with this operation,” the announcement stated.

The agency described the operation as a watershed moment in The Gambia’s campaign against illicit narcotics, warning traffickers and those intending to establish drug-manufacturing facilities that the country would not provide a safe haven.

Drug making machine. Photo credit: DLEAG