Drug Cartels Now Use Amputees, Female Hawkers To Peddle Hard Drugs In Lagos, Ogun
Drug trafficking syndicates operating in Lagos and Ogun States have resorted to using amputees and female street hawkers to distribute hard drugs in a desperate move to evade arrest.
The new tactic is complicating detection for security agencies, as persons with disabilities are typically perceived as beggars, while female hawkers with bowls and buckets on their heads rarely attract suspicion.
Police sources disclosed the trend at the weekend following recent arrests in both states.
In Lagos, a male amputee was apprehended at a notorious black spot inside a major market with a large cache of assorted hard drugs in his possession.
A source privy to the interrogation said the suspect confessed that he was recruited into the drug trade by a major dealer who is now on the run. He disclosed that the network has recruited several other persons with disabilities who operate across Lagos and Ogun, earning a 10 percent commission on daily sales.
According to the suspect, the proceeds from drug sales were used to supplement his income from begging.
In another operation, a female hawker was intercepted in the Sango-Ota axis of Ogun State while conveying hard drugs hidden under a big pot.
The suspect had reportedly disguised as a seller of _agbo_, the popular local herbal concoction. A plainclothes officer who became suspicious ordered her to drop the pot. She allegedly began trembling, prompting a search which uncovered wraps of illicit drugs concealed underneath.
Investigators say the arrested suspects are expected to provide useful leads to track down the major suppliers and kingpins behind the narcotics distribution network in the South-West.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command has intensified raids on known drug joints and criminal flashpoints across the state.
The Command attributed rising violent crimes, including robbery and murder, to drug abuse, stressing that many suspects arrested for such offences were under the influence of hard drugs.
It also warned of the growing link between substance abuse and mental health crises among youths, citing a recent case in Mushin where a young man who reportedly became disoriented after ingesting hard drugs was electrocuted after straying into a transformer enclosure(Guardian)
