According to a statement by Femi Babafemi, the spokesperson of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the agency secured the conviction of 1,445 drug traffickers from January to June 2023.

Out of these convictions, 221 were women and 1,224 were men. Currently, the legal department of the agency is prosecuting 11,166 drug suspects in federal high courts across the country.

One notable conviction was that of Dadda Lorenzo Harvy Albert, a 34-year-old man from Suriname, who was arrested with 9.9 kilograms of cocaine at Port Harcourt International Airport.

He has been sentenced to 13 years in prison. The NDLEA seized a total of 555,953.70 kilograms of various drugs linked to the convicted and pending suspects during the first half of the year.

NDLEA Chairman, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), commended the prosecution department for their efforts and stressed the importance of strong deterrence to offenders through convictions without the option of fine.