Gaoua police seize 90 kg of cannabis and 5,000 litres of banned alcohol
Police in Gaoua, southwestern Burkina Faso, seized 90 kg of cannabis together with more than 5,000 litres of contraband alcohol in an operation backed by the GCRS. Authorities valued the combined haul at 25 million CFA francs and said a network based in Malba was supplying artisanal gold-mining sites around Gaoua, Kampti and Galgouli.
Law-enforcement officers in Gaoua seized more than 5,000 litres of contraband
alcohol and 90 kilogrammes of chanvre indien, the French term for cannabis.[1]The operation was carried out with the support of the Groupement des Compagnies
Républicaines de Sécurité (GCRS) in Gaoua.[1]
Authorities put the total value of the intercepted products at 25 million CFA
francs and said they were intended for the local market ahead of the year-end
holidays.[1]Investigations uncovered a traffickers’ network operating from
the commune of Malba and supplying artisanal gold-mining sites around Gaoua,
Kampti and Galgouli.[1]Police said the success came from close collaboration
with the local population and thanked residents for their vigilance and
contribution to fighting illicit trafficking.[1]
The operation was presented as showing the determination of Burkina Faso’s
security forces to combat crime and protect public health.[1]Authorities said
the operation should deter traffickers and strengthen security in the region.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Cannabis
90 kg
Agency type
Police
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis (90 kg)
Activity
Trafficking
Setting
Port or sea
Case stage
Under investigation
Sources
Bénin Web TVbeninwebtv.bjFRBurkina Faso: saisie de plus de 5.000 litres d'alcool de contrebande et de 90 kg de chanvre indien
Open questions the AI reported
The article gives no separate date for the raid; 29 November 2024 is its publication date and is used as the incident date.
The opened source reports no arrests, charges, names or court outcome for this seizure.
The 25 million CFA franc valuation covers the alcohol and cannabis together, so no cannabis-only value is recorded.
The alcohol quantity of more than 5,000 litres is not part of the cannabis figures.
Only one source could be opened for this run, so no second outlet corroborates the seizure.
The Anti-Drug Unit of the Judicial Police announced on 29 September 2026 that it had dismantled a cannabis trafficking and sales network in Ouagadougou, seizing nearly 86 kg of cannabis plus adulterated drinks, contraband cigarettes and psychotropics supplied from a neighbouring country and gold-mining sites.
Burkina Faso's regional judicial police in Koulsé seized 575.15 kg of cannabis in Kaya and Ouagadougou and arrested one network member, police said on 25 September 2025. The same day the central police station in Pô arrested two travellers carrying 20.5 kg of cannabis on National Road 5.
Burkina Faso customs seized 740 slabs of cannabis hidden in a seven-tonne vehicle on the Bobo-Dioulasso–Ouagadougou road on 29 February 2024. The brigade valued the cannabis at 52.5 million CFA francs and presented the operation as part of counter-terrorism and public-safety enforcement.
Burkina Faso's national police seized 698 slabs of chanvre indien, about 760 kg, in the Hauts-Bassins region and arrested one suspected lone trafficker. Police said he smuggled the cannabis in from abroad on tracks around checkpoints and traded the proceeds for motorcycles.
