Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia

DLEAG operatives stationed in the West Coast Region conducted a sting operation that resulted in the discovery of a suspected skunk cannabis cultivation centre at  Brusubi on Saturday 25 September 2021 around 20:00 GMT onwards

Leon Washington Thayard Hall who is the principal  suspect was  arrested at a restaurant opposite Atlas petrol station at Brusubi  with a wrap of suspected skunk cannabis. He is said to be a British National and a resident of Tranquil, Brusubi. A  caretaker working for  him was also  arrested by another team at a different location. Both operations took place simultaneously.

Lamin Njie and Famara Manneh both Gambians and residents of Brikama were collared by DEAG’s Kanifing Regional Command with thirty five (35) big bundles of suspected cannabis weighing thirty-eight kilograms four hundred and fifty grams (38 KG 450 Grams. They were arrested on Tuesday 13 July 2021 around 22:00 GMT at New Yundum while onboard a Mercedes Benz taxi with registration number BJL 4073 T. The drugs were all wrapped in brown papers, placed in white bags and concealed in the boot of the car. The estimated street value of the seized suspected cannabis is one hundred and seventy five thousand dalasis (D 175,000.00)

The arrest comes barely a week after the arrest of a female Bissau Guinean National with quantities of cocaine costing over two hundred thousand dalasis (D 200,000.00) by the same team of operatives. 

Barely a week after clutching one of the country’s top drug dealer and the top most notorious drug kingpin in Brufut, the Drug Law Enforcement Agency The Gambia (DLEAG) have netted another nefarious drug baron. Lamin Touray Alias Mosquito was collared in Sukuta with seven (7) bags containing sixty five (65) big bundles of suspected cannabis on the 1 July 2021. The facinorous drug dealer was clutched while distributing his illicit products in West Coast Region and Kanifing Municipality on board a tinted Land Cruiser Prado vehicle with registration number BJL 3774 J.

CASE HISTORY OR PREVIOUS DRUG RELATED CASES OF LAMIN TOURAY ALIAS MOSQUITO

One Dodou Bojang, a Gambian national and a resident of Sukuta is presently in custody for possession of prohibited drug for the purpose of drug trafficking. He was arrested at Bullock vehicle checkpoint by law enforcement officers conducting routine vehicle check.

The suspect was arrested on Friday 2nd July 2021 around 16:45 GMT onwards with two big bundles of suspected cannabis sativa. Each of the suspected cannabis was wrapped in a brown paper and concealed in a green bag. He was on board a green commercial gele gele vehicle heading for the Kombos.

He is presently in custody while investigation into the matter continues.

On Saturday 19 June 2021 operatives of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency The Gambia (DLEAG) West Coast Regional Command clutched Ousman Jatta Alias ETO and his wife Maimuna Jallow with sixty four (64) stones of suspected cocaine weighing four (4) grams five hundred (500) milligrams. The said suspected cocaine was wrapped in a transparent nylon bag and concealed in a sofa seat with the wife sitting by it. The officers were however very suspicious of her conduct after profiling her. She was then asked to get up in order for them to conduct a search. It was then that they discovered the said cocaine. There after, both of them were arrested and charged with possession of prohibited drugs for the purpose of drug trafficking.

Ousman Jatta alias ETO is a notorious drug dealer and he is no stranger to anti-narcotic officers. He has in the past been convicted for drug trafficking related offenses and he is presently being tried for similar offenses.

DLEAG operatives stationed within the Kanifing Municipality conducted a sting operation that led to the arrest of one Maria Cabi, A Bissau Guinean national on Friday 2 July 2021 around 10:30 GMT onwards. she was arrested with six (6) pellets, sixteen (16) big wraps and eighteen (18) small wraps of suspected cocaine weighing one hundred and forty six grams four hundred milligrams (146grams 400mg). Operatives equally recovered twenty eight (28) pieces and some quantities of suspected cocaine weighing 8 grams 500mg in the same operation.

In a similar but separate development, one Sulayman Kebbeh, a Gambian and a resident of Brusubi was arrested with two (2) big bundles and six (6) parcels of suspected cannabis weighing one kilogram seven hundred and fifty grams ( 1 KG 750 G. He was arrested at Brusbi on the 3 July 2021 around 14:35 GMT onwards.

They are all currently in custody while investigation into the their matter continue

DLEAG operatives stationed within the West Coast Region conducted a joint operation that resulted in the arrest of two persons while the main suspect is currently at large.

The said covert operation occurred on the 25 June 2021 around 13:00 Hours GMT onwards at the outskirt of Jenung Kunda Village, West Coast Region. DLEAG operatives siezed fifty one (51) big bundles of suspected cannabis sativa with each bundle wrapped in a brown paper, concealed in five (5) separate white bags. The means of conveyance was a black melium unregistered motor cycle ridden by one Lamin Jammeh, a Senegalese and a resident of Tamba Kunda in Cassamance. He claimed to have been hired by the main suspect to transport the said seized cannabis for him. The officers equally have in custody a Mercedes Benz Taxi BJL 8951 M said to be have been hired to transport the seized illicit substances.

Operatives of Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia (DLEAG) West Coast, Kombo North Divisional Command on Sunday 20th December 2020 successfully interdicted huge quantities of cannabis resin also referred to as hashish at old Yundum and Brusbi Phase one (1) after 48 hours of diligent undercover operation. The watershed  seizure of five hundred and two (502) blocks of hashish weighing 225 kg 760 g is unprecedented and a landmark in the annals of the agency and the Gambia at large.

The demand reduction unit of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia (DLEAG) On Thursday, 12 September 2019 delivered lectures on the mandates, functions and effects of illicit drug trafficking and abuse to senior officer of The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) at the Gambia Armed Forces Training School (GAFTS) at Fajara Barracks, Bakau.

Mr. Dawda Sanyang and Lamin K. Jobarteh made presentations on behalf of DLEAG.

Presentations centered on a brief history of DLEAG, functions of DLEAG as provided for in section 15 of the Drug Control Act (DCA) 2003 Revised Laws of The Gambia, Drug abuse situation in The Gambia and summary presentation on the universal prevention curriculum (UPC).

The Commandant of GAFTS expressed appreciation for the partnership and urged participants to make the best use of the knowledge gained from the presentation.

Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia (DLEAG) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as part of the ECOWAS Drug Project organised a two days’ popularization workshop on the Drug Control Bill. Organised at the Ocean Bay hotel in Bakau from the 26th to 27th September 2019, the workshop targeted Civil Society Organisations (CSO’s), Youth groups and Journalists.

The Gambia on June 26, 2019, joined the international community to commemorate the international day against drug abuse, illicit drug trafficking and other related crimes. The day was set aside by United Nations General Assembly in December 1987.

The global theme for this year’s commemoration is health for justice and justice for health. However, on the local front, the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia (DLEAG) and partners maintain the Listen First Campaign as the local theme.

The Public Affairs and Drug Demand Reduction Unit of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency the Gambia (DLEAG) last week conducted a week long regional schools sensitization tour targeting selected schools within the Upper River Region (URR), Central River Region (CRR), and the Lower River Region.

Speaking to this medium, the PRO of DLEAG revealed that on weekly basis, they have been engaging schools and communities within the urban areas. However he said, there is need to engage the rural communities and schools as well because according to him, drug does not know boundary.  “The public, particularly youths and students are sometimes misinformation on issues relating to drugs,” the PRO said. He stated that drug abuse affect students’ academic performance and personal development. “Through engagement of this nature, we are able to clear their doubt and stimulate their interest to do more research and engage in meaningful activities,” he noted.  

Bakary Gassama, the Director General of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency The Gambia (DLEAG), has underscored his agency’s readiness to work with partners in their quest to intensify and strengthen their interdiction and supply suppression mechanisms.

“To those harbouring drug dealers and traffickers, your days are numbered. Sooner than you expect, either the law will catch up with you or you will become a victim of your own doing and the architect of your own destruction,” he warned.

Gassama was speaking yesterday during the opening of a two-day sensitisation of stakeholders on the effects of illicit drug trafficking and abuse held at the NaNA conference hall. The two days convergence funded by the European Union under a Grant to the ECOWAS Commission brought together selected youth and community based organisations.