Vodjè ghetto dismantled; soldier "Alòtrò" sought for extortion racket
Republican Police raided a notorious ghetto in Cotonou's Vodjè district in late June 2026, arresting several people and seizing trafficking equipment from an Indian-hemp network that used the site as transit point and consumption hub. Police are hunting a soldier nicknamed "Alòtrò" accused of extorting dealers in exchange for protection from raids.
🇧🇯 Vodjè district, Cotonou · Benin
The Republican Police executed a large-scale operation in the Vodjè district of
Cotonou, dismantling a notorious ghetto that secretly harboured an Indian-hemp
(cannabis) trafficking network serving as both a transit point and a consumption
hub.[1][2]
The raid led to the arrest of several people on site and the seizure of
substantial equipment linked to the trade; investigations continue into the
network’s branches.[1][2] Police are actively searching for a Béninese armed
forces officer nicknamed “Alòtrò” (gecko), suspected of direct complicity.[1][2]
According to investigators, the soldier did not frequent the ghetto to consume
but ran a racketeering system, regularly extorting payments from dealers in
exchange for supposed protection and immunity from law-enforcement raids.[1][2]
Sources
- Cotonou police dismantle drug network in Vodjè, military officer "alòtrò" sought. Sahel Reporter, 3 July 2026.
- Cotonou drug network dismantled, military officer sought. The African Tribune, 3 July 2026.
Open questions the AI reported
- The exact raid date is inferred as the last week of June 2026 from a 3 July publication saying "this week"; it is not stated.
- The two opened accounts carry the same wire text, so details rest on a single newsroom account; no Beninese national outlet account was found.
- The number of people arrested and the equipment seized were described only as "several" and "substantial".
- Whether "Alòtrò" was apprehended is unreported.