Two arrested with cannabis and Tramadol in Porto-Novo
Police in Porto-Novo arrested a couple at their home in Houssouko on 17 August 2026 and seized suspected cannabis and Tramadol tablets. The husband, a motorcycle-taxi driver, allegedly distributed the drugs while his partner stored and packaged them, and both were held for presentation to the prosecutor.
Officers of Porto-Novo’s 4th district police station intervened at a home in the
Houssouko quarter on the evening of Monday 17 August 2026.[1]The operation
followed tip-offs that the home of a couple living in the quarter served as a
distribution point for illicit substances.[1]Both suspects were arrested on
the spot and placed in police custody.[1]
During the search of the house, police found and seized dried plant matter
described as chanvre indien, the French term for cannabis.[1]Officers also
seized several Tramadol tablets, known locally as kolo, in the same search.[1]Investigators said the husband worked by day as a motorcycle-taxi driver and
allegedly used that work to distribute the goods.[1]They said his partner
handled management, packaging and guarding of the stock kept at the home.[1]
Police said the two would be brought before the public prosecutor once the
inquiry procedures were completed.[1]La Nouvelle Tribune confirms that a
couple were arrested on 17 August 2026 in Houssouko by the 4th district police
station.[2]It reports that police found presumed cannabis and Tramadol
tablets at their home.[2]That account states that the exact quantities seized
were not specified in the police information.[2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arrested
2
Agency type
Police, Prosecutor
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis
Setting
Home
Case stage
Under investigation
Sources
Bénin Web TVbeninwebtv.bjFRPorto-Novo: un couple arrêté à Houssouko pour trafic présumé de chanvre indien et de Tramadol
No weight, plant count or tablet count was published, so no cannabis quantity or Tramadol figure can be recorded and no combined total is attributed to cannabis.
The names and ages of the two suspects were not published.
No charges, trial date or court outcome were reported; the suspects were to be presented to the prosecutor after the inquiry.
La Nouvelle Tribune also mentions separate Cotonou and Porto-Novo operations in June, July and 2025; those are different events left out of this report.
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.
