Tanzania drug busting body arrests two for possessing 500grams of heroin

Dar es Salaam. The Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) is holding two people for possessing 508.163 grams of heroin.

The Acting DCEA Commissioner General, Mr James Kaji said on Tuesday that the suspects used a Sienta vehicle with registration number T776 DSE to transport the illicit drugs.

“We arrested Mr Stanley Ngowi, 24, and Mr Jimmy Mlaki, 24, both residents of Dar es Salaam on January 27 at Kibo Ubungo. We also managed to seize other documents from them,” said Mr Kaji.

He said the arrests followed intelligence information regarding the existence of illegal drug trade activities taking place in the area.

“The suspects will be taken to court. Other two suspects managed to escape during the operation,” he said, noting that DCEA was working with other organs in an operation that seeks to arrest other suspects in connection with the incident.

Referring to illegal drug trade cases in Tanzania, the DCEA boss said that such cases have decreased by 90 per cent.

Mr Kaji said at least 85 Tanzanians were facing death sentence in China after they were arrested for possessing illegal drugs.

“I would like to warn Tanzanians, especially the youth engaged in illegal drug trade outside the country,” he said.

He mentioned Mtwara, Tunduma, Kyela and Tanga as the well-known areas where drug trafficking activities were being carried out.

When asked whether Tanzania’s authorities would introduce death sentence as one of the measures to stop the illegal drug trade in the country, Dr Kaji responded that that punishment would be implemented only if the government approved the amendment of the current Drug Control and Enforcement Act – 2015 which prohibits the punishment.

“Currently, we don't practise death sentence punishment for detained illegal drug dealers, because the Law doesn’t allow us to do so,’’ said MrKaji.