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Nigeria seizes almost a ton of meth in 8 years: official

Xinhua, June 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Nigeria has seized almost a ton of methamphetamine, or meth, in the last eight years, an official said on Tuesday.

Figures released by Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency show that about 162 suspected drug traffickers were caught at airports across Nigeria and 982.42 kg of methamphetamine found with them between 2009 and March 2016.

Methamphetamine is mainly used as a recreational drug.

Spokesperson for the agency, Mitchell Ofoyeju, told reporters there had been a phenomenal rise in recruitment of unemployed young people as drug peddlers.

Ofoyeju blamed "mass production" of methamphetamine for an increased number of people put behind bars on drug-related offences in the country.

He said consumption of methamphetamine in Nigeria was currently low as it was more profitable to sell it in Asia and Europe, where prices are higher.

He reiterated the agency's commitment to fighting against drug trafficking. Endit