Police Bust Illicit Drugs Cartel, Arrest Suspected Ring Leader In A/Ibom

Operatives of the Akwa Ibom State Police Command have dismantled a notorious drug den in Ikot Ebom Itam, Itu local government area, recovering suspected stolen properties and arresting a suspected drug baron during an intelligence-led operation under the ongoing “Operation Zero Black Spots ” initiative (OBSI).

The anti-crime operatives, according to the spokesperson of the command, DSP Timfon John, stormed the criminal hideout following credible intelligence linking the location to drug trafficking, vandalism and the storage of stolen items.

During the operation, she stated that police arrested one Ofonime Etim, a suspected ring leader and recovered quantities of substances suspected to be Indian hemp, packets of rolling papers, axes, machetes, vandalised electrical cables, roofing sheets, aluminium windows, cartons of assorted provisions and beverages, illicit gin, a submersible water pump, and several electronic appliances believed to be stolen.

According to the police, the village chairman of Ikot Ebom Itam, identified the recovered submersible water pump as property stolen from the community’s village hall borehole facility. The suspect reportedly confessed to stealing the pump during interrogation.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the premises served as a major distribution point for illicit drugs and a storage facility for suspected stolen property. Police said efforts are ongoing to identify the owners of the recovered items, trace additional victims, and arrest other members of the criminal network.

The drug den was subsequently demolished, while residents of the area commended the Police for dismantling what they described as a long-standing criminal enclave that had posed a threat to public safety.

Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, reaffirmed the Command’s commitment to sustaining the crackdown on drug traffickers, cultists, vandals, and other criminal elements across the state.

He warned that Akwa Ibom would remain a hostile environment for criminals and assured residents that intelligence-driven operations would continue to identify and eliminate criminal hideouts and black spots throughout the state.