Police Seized Two Kilograms Of Cocaine From Four Nigerian Suspected Drug Dealers

Three Suspects Given Self Bail Absconded!

By Staff Reporter Malang Jammeh & Pa Nderry M’Bai

Email: panderrymbai@gmail.com

Tel: 0011-919-749-6319

A Nigerian National with the first name Pastor, who is a common guest at the National Drug Enforcement Agency, (NDEA) over the years because of his past drug possession arrest records, has been arrested Wednesday,  alongside with three of his Nigerian compatriots, this time with two (2) kilograms of cocaine, the Freedom Newspaper can report.  Pastor, was one of the “untouchable” drug dealers in Banjul—thanks to his connections at the NDEA. The Nigerian drug lord had been arrested on numerous occasions in the past, by the country’s anti narcotic agents, but the former Director General of the Agency Bun Sanneh, “would order for his release and all charges be dropped.”

Pastor’s own Audi car was impounded, following a court order, which Bun Sanneh uses as his official car. Having driven the car for sometimes, Mr. Sanneh returned the vehicle to  his drug dealer friend Pastor. Pastor later sold the car to a prospective buyer. This paper is in possession of the vehicle registration number, and other vital information pertaining to the sale transaction.

Mr. Pastor and three other Nigerians were busted by a drug raiding team led by veteran spy chief Foday Barry, Pa Mbye, an Immigration agent promoted to (Commissioner) rank now attached to the NDEA, with  other officers of the unit.  Investigators said two kilograms of cocaine was found in the possession of Pastor and his co accomplices, one of them identified as Idrish Masade, known as (IK). 

Mr. IK is one of the prosecution witnesses in the drug case involving former police chief Essa Badjie. Reports reaching the Freedom Newspaper said the three Nigerian drug suspects were granted self bail, following instructions from a senior official of the National Drug Enforcement Agency.  IK and the other two arrestees have since jumped bail, leading to a nationwide man hunt conducted by the NDEA to trace the absconded Nigerian drug suspects.

The disappearances of state witness IK would ultimately have an adverse effect on the pending drug case against Essa Badjie. IK was one of the cocaine customers of Badjie, and his testimony would have helped the state in its bid to prove its case beyond all reasonable doubts.  Both IK and Sillaba Samateh are out of the country at this hour.

During police interrogations, Pastor confessed that the two kilograms of cocaine belongs to them. They were busted around Sanyang village by NDEA agents, who later detained them at the NDEA CTI Station in Bijilo for further processing, sources familiar with the case said. Pastor was denied bail, but the other three accused persons were given self bail by a senior official of the NDEA, sources told the Freedom Newspaper.

Concerned by the implications of the accused persons disappearances, Police raided their London corner home, but could not find IK and co. They were told that the men were out of the jurisdiction of The Gambia. The NDEA top brass are still nursing the trauma they suffered, following the absconding of the three drug suspects, sources said.

It would be recalled that Idrish Masade and Charles Bonitace Okeke, both Nigerian nationals were charged with giving false information to a public officer. The charges were dropped by the state.

In another development, a Nigerian man who was busted at the airport with 14 kilograms of cocaine by NIA officials was set free by Ousman Sanneh, the former NDEA Operations chief.  Mr. Sanneh obtained a substantial amount of money from Yakine Rasine, who is believed to be out of the country since his arrest.  He was never taken to court. The case suffered a natural death just like other drug cases at the NDEA.