Ten held as Niger's OCRTIS seize 154 bricks and 28 balls of cannabis at Tchintabaraden
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 OCRTIS anti-narcotics office dismantled a transnational cannabis network on
31 March 2026 at Tchintabaraden, in the Tahoua region.[1][2]Agents carrying out a
routine check on an Algerian-registered truck travelling from Tahoua toward Tamanrasset,
Algeria, found the cannabis hidden in a compartment built into the chassis and in spare
tyres.[1][2]
The seizure came to 154 bricks and 28 balls of cannabis, which the authorities value
at more than 30 million CFA francs.[1][2]Ten people were detained — seven Nigeriens,
two Algerians and one Malian, aged between 16 and 42.[1][2]
Early investigations found the network brought the cannabis in from Ghana through Benin
and Nigeria, stored it in a house in Tahoua belonging to one member, and moved it on
toward Algeria.[1][2]The ten were presented to local authorities at the Tchintabaraden
police headquarters on 5 April 2026, where the OCRTIS unit chief and the departmental
police director recounted the operation and the prefect praised the security forces.[1][2]
Photos and video
Cannabis bricks and balls on a table as the ten detainees stand with OCRTIS and police officers at the Tchintabaraden presentation in early April 2026.Photo details
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
10
Value (official estimate)
XOF 30,000,000
Agency type
Anti-narcotics agency, Police
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis
Setting
Vehicle
Case stage
Under investigation
Route
Ghana → Algeria via Benin and Nigeria
Sources
ActuNigeractuniger.comFRTchintabaraden : un réseau transnational de trafic de drogue démantelé, plus de 30 millions de francs CFA de cannabis saisis
Nasuba Infosnasuba.infoFRTrafic de drogue : le Niger réalise une saisie majeure estimée à 30 millions
Open questions the AI reported
Neither outlet gives the weight of the cannabis, only the 30 million CFA franc estimate.
The reports do not say exactly where the truck was stopped, only that it was a routine check on a vehicle from Tahoua bound for Tamanrasset in Algeria.
The detainees' ages ranged from 16 to 42; the reports do not say how many of the ten are minors.
No charge or court outcome was reported; the ten were presented to local authorities in Tchintabaraden on 5 April 2026.
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 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.
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.
