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National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in Ondo State has raised alarm over increasing rate of Indian hemp plantation in Owo area of the state.
The agency lamented that 65 per cent of the illicit drug seized in the state was carried out in Ehin-ogbe area of Owo.
The agency Commander, Walter Nicholas, who disclosed this to newsmen in Akure, said if urgent step was not taken to nip the activities of Indian hemp growers in Owo, their activities might affect Cocoa production in the state.
Nicholas added that the nefarious activities of the Indian hemp growers were also affecting timber business in the state, stressing that the growers who are mainly from Edo and Delta states are felling trees on government land to cultivate cannabis.
This act, according to him, needs urgent attention before the state is turned to another Colombia where drug barons carry out their illicit trade with impunity.
The NDLEA boss also blamed some land owners in the state, who give their lands indiscriminately to Indian hemp planters without monitoring their activities.
He noted that most often the land owners do not investigate the immigrants who use their land to cultivate Indian hemp.
"Owo is like a haven of drug barons in Ondo State. For the past five years, security agents could not go to Owo to effect arrest. This is because security outfits including the NDLEA are made to believe that the drug barons are armed within Owo enclave."
The NDLEA boss pointed out that Owo has cemented its place in the pantheon of notorious towns noted for Indian hemp cultivation, saying the town accounts for 65 per cent of cannabis seized by the agency in the state in 2010.
Nicholas disclosed that about 35 people had been convicted out of 108 suspects arrested in the town from April to December, this year.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: independentngonline.com
Author: Yemi Akintomide
Contact: Daily Independent
Copyright: Independent Newspapers
Website:Daily Independent
The agency lamented that 65 per cent of the illicit drug seized in the state was carried out in Ehin-ogbe area of Owo.
The agency Commander, Walter Nicholas, who disclosed this to newsmen in Akure, said if urgent step was not taken to nip the activities of Indian hemp growers in Owo, their activities might affect Cocoa production in the state.
Nicholas added that the nefarious activities of the Indian hemp growers were also affecting timber business in the state, stressing that the growers who are mainly from Edo and Delta states are felling trees on government land to cultivate cannabis.
This act, according to him, needs urgent attention before the state is turned to another Colombia where drug barons carry out their illicit trade with impunity.
The NDLEA boss also blamed some land owners in the state, who give their lands indiscriminately to Indian hemp planters without monitoring their activities.
He noted that most often the land owners do not investigate the immigrants who use their land to cultivate Indian hemp.
"Owo is like a haven of drug barons in Ondo State. For the past five years, security agents could not go to Owo to effect arrest. This is because security outfits including the NDLEA are made to believe that the drug barons are armed within Owo enclave."
The NDLEA boss pointed out that Owo has cemented its place in the pantheon of notorious towns noted for Indian hemp cultivation, saying the town accounts for 65 per cent of cannabis seized by the agency in the state in 2010.
Nicholas disclosed that about 35 people had been convicted out of 108 suspects arrested in the town from April to December, this year.
NewsHawk: MedicalNeed: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: independentngonline.com
Author: Yemi Akintomide
Contact: Daily Independent
Copyright: Independent Newspapers
Website:Daily Independent
