The Northern Regional Special Operations Team, popularly known as “Red Maria,” has intensified its fight against illicit drug peddling in the Tamale Metropolis and surrounding areas.
This follows the withdrawal of the special “Black Maria” team earlier deployed to the region by the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
The week-long series of targeted operations, disclosed by the Public Relations Unit of the Northern Regional Police Command to the Ghana News Agency, confirmed the arrest of 37 suspects in connection with the possession and peddling of suspected narcotic drugs.
The command said the development reaffirmed the region’s resolve to sustain the anti-drug campaign.
It said the operations were led by Superintendent John Danso, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Rashid Jeremiah, and ASP Iddrisu Amin, with personnel strength ranging between 31 and 35 officers, who undertook routine swoops in identified hotspots across the metropolis.
The command said on March 16, the team arrested six suspects during operations at Aboabo, the Metro Mass Transport Yard, and a taxi rank in Tamale.
The suspects were picked up with substances suspected to be narcotic drugs and were subsequently placed in police custody for further investigation.
On March 17, the team extended its operation to Sakasaka and Ward K where seven additional suspects were arrested in possession of substances believed to be illicit drugs.
The command indicated that on March 18, the operation recorded its highest number of arrests, where 15 suspects were picked up from Choggu and Savelugu.
Among those arrested was a 15-year-old, raising concerns about juvenile involvement in drug-related activities in the region.
The team sustained the momentum on March 19, arresting five suspects at Sakasaka and Ward K again, before rounding off the week’s operations on March 20 with eight more arrests at Red Clay and Lamashigu.
The command said all suspects arrested during the operations were in police custody, assisting with investigations, while the exhibits retrieved were being processed for evidential purposes.
It said the consistent operations of the “Red Maria” team underscored the Northern Regional Police Command’s commitment to maintaining law and order and preventing resurgence of drug-related crimes following the exit of the IGP’s special task force.
The development, it noted, also highlighted a strategic shift towards sustained, intelligence-led local policing aimed at consolidating gains made during the period of the “Black Maria” operations.
Residents in some of the affected communities have welcomed the continued police presence, expressing optimism that the intensified operations would help curb the circulation of illicit drugs and improve security in the metropolis.
The Police Command reiterated its call on the public to support the fight against drug abuse and trafficking by volunteering timely information to security agencies.
Source: GNA
