The drugs destroyed were about 4 tons of cannabis, 238 KG of hashish, 17 grams of heroin and 52 KG of cocaine.
The event was witnessed by Ministers, high profile security heads, CSOs, NHRC and the media.
Bakary Gassama, DG of DLEA, said: “Social media has become one of the main platforms that people get information from. The convenience of information via social media is obvious as it is easy to access, engaging and can be easily shared with family and friends. Unfortunately, drugs and related matters are the common subject of inaccurate news on social media.”
He added that public drug destruction is a practice that demonstrates accountable governance in law enforcement in the management of drug exhibits and also reveals the street value of the drug standing at D109, 529, 070.
The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Abdoulie T.B. Jarra, speaking on behalf of the board members of DLEAG, said young people are being deceived into thinking that they could get their ways through drugs, and therefore, most of them engage in drug abuse and petty trading in drugs.
The minister of Interior, Yankuba Sonko, also said: “We are aware that there are many factors making young people vulnerable to drugs and key among them is misinformation.”
“We have observed that young people, particularly girls, are increasingly engaged in abuse of controlled drugs. Most of them are influenced by lifestyle they saw in the internet and other media.”
“The best way to reverse this thing is to counter the impression given and to guide them through career guidance and counselling.”
