Ashma Destroys Illegal Drugs

By Godfred Blay Gibbah, Ashaiman

The Ashaiman Municipal Assembly (ASHMA) taskforce on Friday seized quantities of assorted illegal drugs abandoned by drug peddlers during a swoop at Fitter Line near the Accra-Tema motorway.

The items which included tramadol hydrochloride (tramadol 225 mg), nufenac tablets, aphrodisiac substances, black cobra pills/tablets, osteo pills, yokohama (buttocks enlarging substance) and concoctions were concealed in polythene bags.

Supervised by officials from the National Security, Bureau of National Investigations, the illegal drugs were subsequently burnt.

Briefing the Ghanaian Times about the exercise, the Chief Executive of ASHMA, Albert Boakye Okyere, said on Friday the assembly's taskforce had information that 50 drug peddlers had arrived in Ashaiman to do illegal trade, but the peddlers took to their heels when they saw the taskforce, leaving behind their wares wrapped in black polythene.

Upon inspection, he said, the taskforce found the illegal items, which they seized and sent to the ASHMA office and thereafter destroyed.

He expressed worry about the manner in which some youth had been indulging in drug abuse and its adverse effects on their health.

"Society can no longer allow this to continue, we will support the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the Ministry of Health and the security agencies to clamp down on these illegal activities," he said and advised the youth to desist from drug abuse because it would render them unproductive.

Mr Okyere urged the public to report users or dealers in illegal drugs to the police for necessary action.

In recent times, health authorities have raised concerns over the abuse of substances like tramadol, a prescription drug, which has found its way on the streets either through the activities of drug peddlers or chemical shops.

According to medical experts, the side effects of abuse of the drug include hallucination, fainting, liver damage and death in severe cases.

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