Around 6 a.m. on 27 August 2026, officers of the Oké-Owo border police station raided a site in the village of Atta, in the Okpara arrondissement of the commune of Savè, under the command of Commissioner Joseph Chabi Wetti.[1][2] The alleged main operator and presumed owner of the field fled when the officers arrived.[1][2] Officers arrested one man on the spot, described as one of the farm workers and the nephew of the wanted owner.[1][2] The suspect was placed in custody at the Oké-Owo police station, an active search is under way for the plantation’s promoter, and the case file was sent to the competent judicial authorities.[1][2]

The officers uncovered a cannabis field covering more than one hectare and seized more than 30 kilograms of cannabis at the site.[1][2] The site was described as an organised operation with workers assigned to tend the cannabis crops while simulating ordinary farming.[1][2]

Benin’s Police républicaine presented the raid as part of its fight against drug trafficking in the commune of Savè.[1]

The detained man denied being responsible for the plantation and attributed ownership of the field to his uncle.[2] Local media accounts cited in the report described 15 kg already harvested, dried and packaged plus about 200 kg of plants still standing, figures the report said still needed confirmation by the competent authorities.[2]