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Officers of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG) are on a serious manhunt for a soldier suspected of drug peddling who opened fire on Tuesday evening at the Kalagi Police Station in the West Coast Region, while being questioned over bundles of suspected cannabis he was in possession with.
Information reaching The Digest News have it that the suspect, identified as one Nuha Conteh, is a serving member of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) and was in full military gears at the time of incident in Kalagi. He was stopped by officers of the DLEAG and the Gambia Police Force while he was in a commercial vehicle with the registration number BJL 1890 S.
“A suspected cannabis (in bundles) was found in his possession and when he was brought to the Station for interrogation, he pulled out a pistol and opened fire on the ceiling and everyone ran away. He too ran away,” a source informed The Digest News.
When contacted to shed light on the incident, Ousman Saidybah, spokesperson of the DLEAG confirmed the story. He said the drug squad officers stopped the said commercial vehicle with registration number BJL 1890 S, while on a routine check at the Kalagi Check Point.
“During the process, the DLEAG officers discovered a container (paint like bucket) in the said vehicle. The officers enquired about the owner of the said container and declared their intention to search it. A male subject who identified himself as a soldier claimed to be the owner of the container but refused that it will not be searched. With support from colleague police officers on duty, he was taken together with the said suspected container to the charge office. Upon arrival at the charge office, the said individual took out a pistol, fired a shot up in the air to pave a way for his escape. Later, a search was conducted but he could not be traced,” he explained.
He said the suspected container was searched and three (3) big bundles of suspected cannabis were found in it. Similarly, he went on, the officers found one (1) big bundle of suspected cannabis, a military uniform, an exercise book bearing the name Nuha Conteh and a regiment number and a GAF sport certificate bearing the name Nuha Conteh in the bag that he left behind.
The Drug Agency’s spokesperson further explained that the driver also revealed that the said individual identified himself to him as a military officer when he boarded the vehicle in Brikama heading to the province.
He said currently, a manhunt has been launched to locate him and the investigation into the matter continues.
Meanwhile, The Digest News also contacted the GAF spokesperson, Major Lamin K. Sanyang for comments and he confirmed the story and promised to find out more details about the incident and the suspect.
Reporting by Assan Sallah