The Drug Law Enforcement Agency, The Gambia (DLEAG) arrested a 53-year-old Nigerian national on 24 August 2026 in a breakthrough against illicit drugs.
Officers detained Celestine Ikenna Godwin with 9,020 ecstasy tablets, a quantity of suspected cannabis ruderalis (skunk), and a machine believed to have been used to manufacture and process illegal drugs.
Officials described the equipment find as the first of its kind the agency has recorded in The Gambia. They said it raises concern that clandestine laboratories for synthetic drugs could take root locally and shows how the regional trafficking threat is changing.
The seizure, DLEAG said, demonstrates its determination to stop not only drugs entering the country but also any attempt to set up production facilities. The suspect remains in custody while investigators work to identify and dismantle any linked networks.
The agency called the operation a major milestone and a warning that The Gambia offers no haven for traffickers or those seeking to manufacture drugs. It praised officers for their vigilance and urged the public to report credible information to protect communities, especially young people, from drug abuse and trafficking.
