Essien Edem an alleged drug dealer,was arrested with 284 wraps of Indian hemp during a stop-and-search exercise by the police in Calabar, Cross River State.
Edem seeing the gig was up scampered out of a vehicle and tried to escape on seeing the police checkpoint.
Mr. Hafiz Inuwa the Cross River State Commissioner of Police, revealed the arrest to Southern City News on Saturday,
he said the suspect was arrested during the raid of some flashpoints in the state Housing Estate in Calabar Municipal Local Government Areas.
Edem has been handed over to the state office of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation and prosecution.
Inuwa said, “He was arrested during the Commissioner of Police Patrol, where we carried out a stop-and-search. Specifically, the suspect was caught along the Murtala Mohammed Highway by Zenith Bank during the exercise.
“He saw our men and tried to escape by jumping out of the vehicle he boarded. So, we chased him and got him arrested. We recovered 284 wraps of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp. His name is Essien Edem.
We have transferred the matter to the state office of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for further investigation and prosecution.
“We will continue to raid crime-prone areas in the State Housing Estate in Calabar Municipal so as to curb crime in the area. Such raid is also extended to other areas in both the Calabar Municipal and Calabar-South. They are beginning to yield results.”