By Isatou Sarr
The Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG) has arrested twenty-nine individuals in a series of coordinated operations across the country between April 29 and May 7, 2025.
The agency also seized significant quantities of prohibited and controlled drugs during the period.
According to DLEAG, eighteen suspects were apprehended in the West Coast Region, five in Banjul, four in Kanifing Municipality, and two in the North Bank Region.
Of those arrested, twenty-three are Gambian nationals, two are Senegalese, two are Dutch, one is a Guinean from Conakry, and one is Tunisian. The agency further reported that four of the suspects were Alleged Child Offenders (ACOs), all Gambians, who were arrested in Sanchaba, Kanifing Municipality, for joint possession of seventeen wraps of suspected kush.
Among the major seizures were 1,265 pills of suspected ecstasy destined for Senegal. Two Senegalese nationals were arrested at the Banjul and Barra ferry terminals with 790 and 130 pills of ecstasy respectively. Two Gambian nationals were also found with ecstasy pills at the Banjul ferry terminal and Mbollet-ba checkpoint in the North Bank Region.
In Banjul, arrests included a 43-year-old Senegalese with 790 ecstasy pills; a Banjul resident with 23 wraps of cannabis; and three other suspects with kush and ecstasy. In the West Coast Region, suspects were arrested with cannabis, hashish, molly, and injectable controlled drugs. Notably, two Dutch nationals and a Tunisian were found with various substances in Wulinkama.
In Kanifing Municipality, arrests included a Conakry Guinean with 125 wraps of suspected kush and others with cannabis and ecstasy. The North Bank Region saw the arrest of a Senegalese national and a Gambian resident of Banjul with cocaine and ecstasy.
All suspects remain in custody as investigations continue. DLEAG reiterated its commitment to combating drug trafficking and safeguarding public health and safety across The Gambia.
