Chad Army officers, others on trial for trafficking tramadol

 Eleven people including a Chadian army general and two other officers are to stand trial on charges of drug trafficking, judicial sources told AFP Saturday.

Six months ago, a vehicle carrying 246 cartons of the opiate painkiller Tramadol, with an estimated value of 12.3 billion CFA francs (18.8 million euros, $21 million), was seized, a judicial source said.

“There was another vehicle carrying the same value that managed to get away” the source added on condition of anonymity.

Among those charged, “are senior officers in the Chadian army and a director from the national security agency,” which is an intelligence unit, Justice Minister Djimet Arabi told AFP.

The judicial source identified the senior officers as a general and two others.

Alain Kagonbe, who spoke for the defence team, said the defendents had been arrested and that the period during which they should have been charged had expired.

“All of the defendents deny the charges,” he added.

An initial hearing was held on Friday, and the trial is to resume on July 3.  (AFP)