DRUG SQUAD RAIDS SPOIL BOB MARLEY EVENING

Banjul

The Police Drug Squad Unit last week timed their countrywide raids on
cannabis and other drug hideouts as fans of the late reggae exponent Bob
Marley were commemorating 22 years of his death.

At least more than a dozen suspected cannabis dealers and smokers in
different corners of Serrekunda, Bakau and Lamin were rounded up by men
from the drug squad. The raid came as many of them were preparing to
celebrate the 11th May anniversary of the demise of reggae legend Bob Marley.

Similar arrests were also reported in other parts of the country on the
same day.

Plainclothes officers with a getaway blue van with an unregistered number
plate hit the heart of Lamin village as early as 8pm on Saturday targeting
a vicinity where they suspected cannabis dealers and smokers were based.
They conducted an impromptu house-to-house search leading to the arrest of
dealers with their illicit items confiscated. Some were arrested in the
streets as they tried to escape.

The raid lasted for about an hour and attracted many cautious onlookers
mainly women and children who silently witnessed as those apprehended were
ruffled and pushed into the waiting van. In the area where this reporter
was staying a man who wanted to scale a fence after he was caught
red-handed treating the item with a pair of scissors was pounced upon by a
host of police pursuers.

This exercise, which seemed to have been well calculated, came off amidst
an increasing number of drug related cases reported to the Banjulinding
police station.

The Independent has also learnt that an influential dealer in cannabis
escape arrest because he was not at his house at time of the raid.

Observers in Lamin have commended the drug squad for the exercise calling
it a right thing to do in order to stem the proliferation of drugs in the
area, which they said is notorious for habouring cannabis dealers who were
previously adept at evading arrest.

Meanwhile all those arrested are still in custody at the Brikama police
station.

When contacted an officer in the station confirmed the arrest and said
further raids are underway. "We want to get rid of the drug menace once and
for all" he told this reporter on the phone.