2 Togolese apprentices held with 55 kg cannabis in Bassila
Customs and police intercepted a Togo-registered minibus at Adjiro near Prèkètè, Bassila, on 15 February 2026, seizing about 55 kg of cannabis and 2,500 cartridges. The driver fled and two Togolese apprentice drivers aged 18 and 19 were detained for investigation.
A joint customs and police check intercepted a minibus coming from Togo at
Adjiro in the Prèkètè district of Bassila commune on Sunday 15 February 2026.[1]When customs officers approached, the driver fled and abandoned the vehicle
with two apprentices inside.[2]The two people left behind were Togolese
apprentice drivers aged 18 and 19 who live in Badjou in Togo.[1]Both
apprentices were arrested and taken to the border police station for
investigation.[1]The two apprentices were placed in custody for possession of
drugs and ammunition.[2]
Officers searching the minibus found about 55 kg of chanvre indien, the French
term for cannabis, and 2,500 calibre-12 cartridges hidden among luggage.[2]The minibus was registered TG 1074 BO and had come from Togo before being
stopped at Adjiro.[1]Customs officers sealed the cartridges while police kept
the seized cannabis.[1]
Investigators opened an inquiry to clarify each person’s role, identify the
fleeing driver and establish the cargo’s intended destination and possible
accomplices.[1]The authorities describe the border roads around Bassila as
routes regularly used by cross-border networks to move prohibited goods between
Togo and Benin.[2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
2
Cannabis
55 kg
Agency type
Customs, Border guard, Police
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis (55 kg)
Activity
Possession
Setting
Vehicle
Case stage
Under investigation
Route
Togo → Benin
Sources
Benin Newsbenin-news.comFRBassila : 2.500 cartouches et 55 kg de chanvre saisis à la frontière togolaise
Bénin Web TVbeninwebtv.bjFRBénin: 2 apprentis chauffeurs togolais interpellés avec 55 kg de chanvre indien et 2 500 cartouches
Open questions the AI reported
The cannabis weight is reported as approximate, about 55 kg, so no exact laboratory weight is recorded.
Bénin Web TV gives no separate event date; 15 February 2026 is the interception date reported by Benin News, while 19 February 2026 is the Bénin Web TV publication date.
The 2,500 calibre-12 cartridges are a separate ammunition seizure mentioned to explain the mixed event and are excluded from cannabis figures.
No court outcome was reported; the investigation into the apprentices' roles, the fleeing driver and possible accomplices was still under way.
Police in Houègbo arrondissement detained five people, one of them a woman, in raids on 3 and 6 November 2026 that broke up a suspected counterfeit-money network at Agbotagon. Officers seized 28 sachets of cannabis in the first raid and about 1.5 kg in a shop in the second, alongside counterfeit notes, printing plates and smuggled medicines.
Police arrested a man as he arrived to collect a parcel containing 5.4 kg of suspected cannabis at a Cotonou transport company on 29 September 2026. He said the parcel came from Togo by way of Bassila, and was held while police continued their investigation.
On 22 September 2026, border police on the Niger River at Malanville arrested a boatman after finding two packages of Indian hemp in his luggage. He jumped into the river to escape, was pulled out with help from residents, and was placed in custody while prosecutors opened a trafficking investigation.
Police in Kétou arrested a burglary suspect in a ghetto in the Obafemi quarter and seized 21.5 kg of cannabis. Officers also seized three motorcycles of doubtful origin and said inquiries into the wider network were continuing.
