Six arrested as 113 kg of cannabis seized in Arlit
Niger police arrested six Nigeriens aged 20 to 30 in Arlit after a staged purchase, seizing 122 bricks weighing 113 kg. Police valued the haul at more than 20 million CFA francs and also confiscated luxury SUVs.
Niger police arrested six young Nigeriens aged 20 to 30 in Arlit after trapping
them with a simulated drug purchase.[1]The operation was led by the DCLTIS,
Niger’s central office against illicit drug trafficking, in the dunes around
Arlit.[2]Officers staged a transaction to unmask a network described as
operating with disconcerting assurance.[2]Officers also confiscated luxury
vehicles linked to the trade, described as gleaming SUVs, and the young suspects
were placed in custody.[2]The six suspects were still awaiting judgment when
the case was reported.[2]
Officers seized 122 bricks of cannabis that had been carefully concealed.[1]The haul weighed 113 kilograms, which police valued at more than 20 million CFA
francs.[2]Arlit lies about 200 kilometres from Agadez and is known for its
uranium mines and regional transit role.[2]
Police said the network aimed to flood illicit markets, potentially beyond
Niger’s borders.[2]The Agadez region is a long-standing transit corridor
between sub-Saharan Africa and the Maghreb for illegal goods including drugs.[2]The account notes that a kilogram of cannabis can resell for up to 300,000
CFA francs on some markets.[2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Niamey Customs Brigade officers intercepted 154 balls of cannabis about 22 km south of the Kouré checkpoint on 9 September 2026, a haul Customs called a brigade record. Acting on prior intelligence, officers stopped the suspect cargo before it continued; no arrests were reported.
Police in Tamaské, Tahoua region, seized 45 kg of cannabis and arrested two suspects on 22 April 2026. Local and departmental authorities praised the operation as a blow to trafficking networks and urged residents to report suspicious activity.
Niger's OCRTIS anti-narcotics office dismantled a transnational cannabis network on 31 March 2026 when a routine check of an Algerian-registered truck bound for Tamanrasset found 154 bricks and 28 balls of cannabis hidden in a chassis compartment and spare tyres. Ten people aged 16 to 42 were detained; the load was valued at more than 30 million CFA francs.
Niger's anti-drug office, OCRTIS, arrested two suspected members of a cross-border cannabis network in Konni, Tahoua Region, one of them a Nigerian courier stopped at Saléoua. The case began with 44.225 kg of cannabis resin found in Konni on 30 October and ended with some 57 kg of cannabis seized in all, alongside tens of thousands of psychotropic pills.
