The Delta State Police Command has arrested 59 suspected criminals in Warri South, Uvwie, and Okpe Local Government Areas (LGAs).
The command said it also arrested another 213 suspects in several hotels with substances suspected of being hard drugs in their possession.
The Police spokesperson for the state, Superintendent Bright Edafe, said that the sustained efforts to rid the state of criminal elements and clamp down on illicit drug activities recorded significant operational successes as a result of ‘coordinated, intelligence-driven raids of identified black spots and criminal hideouts in Warri and Ughelli’.
Edafe said that, last Wednesday, operatives of the command, led by Deputy Commissioner Olumuyiwa Adejobi, and a squad drawn from the Buffalo Operational Team and other tactical units, carried out targeted raids across the three Local Government Areas.
He explained that the operation, which was predicated on credible intelligence gathered by the State Intelligence Department (SID), covered Ugbrumu and Jeddo communities.
“During the operation, a total of 59 suspects, comprising 51 males and eight females, were arrested at identified criminal hideouts, including a notorious bush bar. Notably, most of the hotels affected operate as brothels housing prostitutes and creating a haven for criminal elements, while some suspected cultists who have been on the command’s watch list were among those apprehended.
Exhibits recovered include substances suspected to be codeine, crack cocaine, “loud”, “colos”, and weeds suspected to be Indian hemp.”
According to Edafe, the next day, Adejobi led “another team of operatives drawn from the Crack Squad, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), and Buffalo Squad on an aggressive raid of criminal locations within Ughelli town.
‘’The operation, also based on actionable intelligence from the SID, targeted locations notorious for drug-related activities, including Epini Hotel along the Ughelli–Patani Expressway, Torsac Hotel, and Primaria Guest House.”
He said that 213 suspects were arrested. ‘It is noteworthy that many of the hotels raided were found to be operating as brothels, harbouring prostitutes and serving as safe havens for criminal elements. Recovered exhibits include large quantities of substances suspected to be Canadian loud, CSC syrup, tramadol, swinol, and Indian hemp’.
Edafe said that the suspects and exhibits have been handed over to the Divisional Police Officer in charge of ‘A’ Division, Ughelli, as well as the officers in charge of the RRS and the CP Special Assignment Team for coordinated investigation, profiling, and possible prosecution.
“The Commissioner of Police assures members of the public that all suspects found culpable will be prosecuted in accordance with the law. He further reiterates the command’s unwavering commitment to sustaining ongoing operations across the state, including Sapele and its environs, with a view to dismantling criminal networks and enhancing public safety,” the statement further read.
