A combined team of armed police and military personnel have arrested six persons in possession of dried leaves suspected to be Indian at the Tamale forest as part of efforts by the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly to clear the area of criminal activities.

The suspects who were arrested from different locations within the forest close to the Tamale Sports Stadium were either seen smoking the contraband substance themselves or packaging them for sale to their colleagues.

The latest operation comes after a month’s ultimatum issued to occupants of the forest to vacate the place with a warning to residents to stop defecating in the reserve in an exercise dubbed “operation free the forest from occupation”

Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), Iddrisu Musah Superior who led the operation burnt down tents and huts of the drug peddlers and promised that the operation will be sustained to rid the area of criminal activities.

The forest had been turned to a fertile ground for teenagers engage in marijuana (wee) smoking and selling, prostitution among other criminal activities.

Boys and girls as young as 8,9 and 10 years who are supposed to be in school have seriously turned the forest into their base doing all manner of businesses in the midst of the “wee” smokers and armed robbers.

This is an old age phenomenon pretty known to most chiefs, opinion leaders and previous city authorities who did little or nothing to prevent the children from being exploited sexually and ignorantly by those hoodlums who dwell in the forest.

Most of the kids sleep there, drink, eat, defecate and run errands for those persons who serve as their “business masters” inside the forest.

They also trade in different stolen items such as motorbikes, bicycles, laptops, mobile phones, and other appliances. Those stolen items are mostly sold to their syndicated groups in Bolgatanga who also bring and sell their stolen items to those in Tamale in void of suspicions.