By Olimatou Coker
The Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG) recently arrested three government employees allegedly found with 36 large bundles of suspected cannabis concealed in a government vehicle at the Kalaji checkpoint.
According to Dleag Public Relations Officer Dawda Sanyang, the three men were arrested on 26th August after officers stopped and searched a white government van registration number GG 0848.
The suspects were identified as Adama Tabally, 29; Yankuba Nyassi, 28; and Musa Jammeh, 30.
Sanyang told The Standard that the suspected cannabis was concealed in cement paper, a black-coloured nylon bag and a multi-coloured bag inside the vehicle.
Tabally is an employee of the Ministry of Finance, while Nyassi and Jammeh work for the Ministry of Agriculture. The trio were subsequently taken before the Brikama Magistrates’ Court, where they pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been remanded at Mile II Central Prisons, with the case adjourned to 8 October, 2026.
PRO Sanyang added that the arrest demonstrated the importance of intelligence-led operations and vigilance by law-enforcement officers at checkpoints.
He noted that while he had personally seen similar newly acquired government vans on the roads, the arrest involving the particular vehicle was, to his knowledge, the first instance in which one had been apprehended in connection with suspected drug trafficking.
The Dleag PRO urged young people to avoid illegal activities and instead pursue legitimate means of earning a living.
In a related development, PRO Sanyang disclosed several other arrests involving suspected controlled substances during the week.