The Tamale citizen-led Anti-Tramadol Taskforce, dedicated to combating the sale of illegal and highly addictive opioids, has arrested a policeman allegedly involved in the sale of tramadol.
The police officer, identified only as Saani Abdulai of the Sakasaka Police Station, was apprehended with six boxes of tramadol on Saturday during a special operation by the taskforce.
Chairman of the Taskforce, Alhaji Naziru Gbarigbari, told journalists that their intelligence had revealed the security officer possessed over 1,500 boxes of the opioid. However, they found only six boxes during the operation. He added that they suspect Abdulai is hiding more.
“Even though he mentioned having Tramadol 225mg when interacting with our undercover agent, we found only 125mg on him. We’re still interrogating him to know where he’s keeping the 225mg,” Alhaji Gbarigbari said.
“Initially, he didn’t want to admit he was a dealer. He tried to use his position as a police officer to intimidate us, but we outsmarted him,” he added.
Gbarigbari stated that the taskforce would hand Abdulai over to the police once their interrogation is complete. The Chairman of the Anti-Tramadol Taskforce called for continuous public support to help eradicate the tramadol trade in the Northern Region.
Saani Abdulai admitted to engaging in the sale of illegal opioids but was quick to clarify that he did so without the knowledge of the police service.
He explained that he entered the business due to financial difficulties.
“The police service doesn’t know I’m involved in this business. It’s something I do secretly. I went into this business because things were tough; I had no turning point,” he explained.
The police have yet to comment on the matter.
