N/R: Police arrest 27 in Northern Region drug crackdown

Police in the Northern Region have arrested twenty-seven people in what authorities describe as one of the most coordinated crackdowns on drug peddling in the area.

The operation, carried out by the Northern Regional Police Command together with the IGP’s Special Operations Team, targeted well-known drug hotspots in and around Tamale.

The swoops took place on November 19, 2025, and led to the arrest of several individuals, including Iddrisu Abdul Bassit, Iddrisu Sadick, Yawuza Hishan, Yakubu Yussif, Alhassan Abukari, Mutaru Daniel Fisco, Ibrahim Abdul Wakil, Hawa Abdul Rahman, Latifa Iddrisu, Mariam Fuseini, Ibrahim Sadia and Alima Iddrisu. Others encountered at the scenes have yet to be formally identified as investigations continue.

Police say they retrieved quantities of dried leaves suspected to be cannabis, most of it already packaged in polythene bags.

Five motorbikes believed to have been used to support the illegal trade were also seized.

Follow-up operations in other parts of the metropolis resulted in more arrests, bringing the total number of suspects to twenty-seven.

All those detained were handed over to the Northern Regional Drug Law Enforcement Unit for further questioning.

On November 21, nine of the suspects made their first appearance at the Tamale Circuit Court, where they were charged with possessing narcotic drugs without lawful authority.

Five of the accused were women, and four were men. One more suspect appeared separately on a charge of unlawful possession of arms and ammunition.

They all pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.

The remaining eighteen suspects are being kept in police custody as investigations continue.