A total of 44 kilogrammes of cocaine was seized by the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) nationwide in 2017, Mr Francis Opoku Amoah, the Ashanti Regional Commander, has said.

Speaking on the Kumasi Morning Show on Kumasi 104.1FM on Monday, June 25, 2018 he said the illicit drugs were seized from 18 peddlers.

The quantity of cocaine seized last year, he said was a little higher as compared to the year 2016 where a total of 43.2 kilogrammes was seized from 31 peddlers.

He told show host Akwesi Agudey that statistics show more males are engaged in illicit drug peddling than females in the country.

In 2016, he said 24 out of 31peddlers who were arrested were males while 7 were females.

He said all the 18 peddlers who were arrested in 2017 were males.

Speaking on the international day against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking which will be celebrated tomorrow under the theme: "Listening to the children is the first step of helping them", he advised parents to have time for their wards and monitor their activities to prevent them from engaging in the use of sale of illicit drugs.