14/11/2007 00:00:00
Liberia police torch a tonne of cannabis
---
GBARNA (AFP) — Police in Liberia's central Bong county on Wednesday
incinerated 1,000 kilogrammes of cannabis seized recently in separate
drug hauls.
"This is the first time such an important amount of drug is being burnt
in the country," the country's drug enforcement agency head James
Jallah, told AFP at the scene.
The cannabis was valued at around 14,000 US dollars on the Liberian market.
Jallah expressed concern that the county which borders southern Guinea
was becoming a top drug-producing region in the west African country.
He said police had information that there were more than 20 farms
producing marijuana in the one county alone, out of the nation's 15
counties.
"We are on the hunt (for the farms)," he said.
The drug burnt on Wednesday was seized at various police checkpoints in
Bong county. Police said it was for predominantly local consumption.
Countries north of Liberia, such as Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and
Mauritania, are increasingly being used by criminal gangs as a hub for
shipping cocaine from producer nations in Latin America to Europe.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5ghwJ_z0CJroeShFVaGeDrwGDVIBg
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=13008
Author:
AFP via UKCIA
|