Pubdate: Sat, 14 Jan 2012
Source: Citizen, The (Tanzania)
Copyright: 2012 The Citizen 
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/PlU6gJPq
Website: http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5312

LET'S SUSTAIN ANTI-DRUG WAR

Police Anti-Drug Unit head Godfrey Nzowa and his team deserve praise 
for their dedication to tracing the movement of illegal narcotic drugs 
countrywide. The unit impounded a record 210 kilogrammes of heroin and 
arrested four suspects in Lindi Municipality on Thursday.

In September, they seized 97 kilogrammes of heroin worth Sh4.3 billion 
and arrested three Tanzanians and an Iranian suspect in Tanga.Two 
Pakistanis were arrested with 179 kilogrammes at Mbezi in Dar es 
Salaam in February.

The latest development confirms the United Nations Office on Drugs and 
Crime report that drug traffickers have turned some African countries, 
including Tanzania, into a cost-effective route for heroin shipment to 
Europe and elsewhere.

Given the tough restrictions on transiting through Asia and the Middle 
East, the drug traffickers are now taking advantage of our 
geographical location, porous borders and police inefficiency.

Intensified security checks in Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Bagamoyo ports 
lately have pushed the drug dealers into offloading their consignments 
on the south-eastern coast.   

As we congratulate Nzowa's team, we may want to consider New Year 
resolutions that go beyond committing ourselves to volunteering 
tip-offs, arrests, prosecution, convictions and meting out penalties. 
We should go for the Big One-eliminating drug trafficking and 
consumption by end of this year. 
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MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.