POLICE RAID SUSPECTED DRUG OUTLET IN DELTA, ARREST SIX

The Delta State Police Command has arrested six people, including a 15-year-old girl, during an operation targeting suspected illicit drug activities in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of the state.

The suspects were apprehended by operatives of the Department of Operations during a routine patrol along Alegwe Street, off Owa Road. According to the police, the officers acted on intelligence that led them to a store allegedly being used for the distribution and sale of prohibited substances.

Those arrested were identified as Anabel Haruna, 18; Terhemen Faith, 19; Kaityo Abigail, 23; Iorkee Eunice, 26; Osomuri Emmanuel, 31; and a 15-year-old female juvenile whose name was not disclosed because of her age.

The operation was carried out under the direction of the newly deployed Delta State Commissioner of Police, Samuel Etaifo Erale, as part of the command's efforts to intensify action against criminal activities and drug distribution networks across the state.

Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, disclosed the arrests in a statement made available to journalists in Warri on Thursday. He said officers subsequently searched a vehicle linked to the suspects and recovered quantities of Tramadol, Rohypnol and other substances suspected to be illicit drugs.

The recovered items, along with the six suspects, have been taken into police custody as investigators work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the alleged drug operation. The command said the investigation is ongoing and further action would follow based on its findings.

Commissioner Erale warned individuals involved in the distribution and sale of illicit drugs that the police would continue to target their networks. He maintained that the command would not allow Delta State to become a safe haven for illegal drug-related activities or other forms of criminal enterprise.

According to the police commissioner, the spread of illicit drugs can contribute to violent crime and other criminal activities, making the disruption of drug supply networks an important part of the command's wider security strategy.

Erale subsequently directed police personnel across the state to strengthen intelligence gathering and enforcement operations against suspected drug dealers and their associates.

The latest arrests form part of broader police efforts to tackle criminal activities in Delta State. However, the suspects remain under investigation, and the allegations against them have not been established by a court.

The case is expected to progress as investigators examine the recovered substances, question the suspects and trace the source and intended distribution channels of the drugs.