Sixteen people were arrested in Daloa during a police operation targeting locations suspected of being linked to drug use and trafficking. The intervention is part of the national operation “Special Sparrowhawk,” deployed since September 7, 2026, in several major cities in Côte d’Ivoire.
According to the information released about the operation carried out in Daloa, the law enforcement forces raided several areas of the city and seized products and equipment suspected to be linked to drug trafficking. The arrested suspects are to undergo the verifications and procedures stipulated by the investigation.
Daloa at the heart of the Special Sparrowhawk operation
The significance of the crackdown goes beyond this single operation. Daloa is, along with Bouaké and Korhogo, one of the main cities targeted by Épervier Spécial, a 90-day operation focused on narcotics, substandard or counterfeit medicines, and traffic violations.
At the national level, the National Security Council indicated on September 17 that the first ten days of the operation had already resulted in the destruction of 56 smoking facilities, the seizure of nearly 183 tons of substandard or counterfeit medicines, and the arrest of 196 individuals. More than 3,500 motorcycles and vehicles had also been immobilized.
In Daloa, the police authorities had previously announced the seizure of 25 kg and 72 packets of cannabis, 5.6 kg of cocaine, and 6.5 kg of heroin since the launch of the operation. Ten smoking dens had also been destroyed in the jurisdiction covering Daloa, Issia, Vavoua, and Zoukougbeu.
The 16 new arrests thus represent a new local phase of a security operation that is set to continue for several weeks.
