Mtwara and Dar lead as entry points for drugs in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam and Mtwara Regions have been named as the lead conduits for sale and trafficking of drugs in Tanzania with Tanga following closely in the illicit trade.

Speaking at a news conference in Dar es Salaam on January 1, the Commissioner General of the Anti-narcotics body James Kaji said Mtwara has become the leading entry point for drugs such as Heroin, cocaine.

“Almost all regions remain as key points but Mtwara has become a key point for drugs from mainly Mozambique followed by Dar es Salaam and Tanga,” said Kaji.

He, did not, however, say how exactly drug barons continue to infiltrate the country despite strong surveillance by the ant-narcotics team which operates jointly with other security organs.

All the three leading towns and cities are coastal towns that have the country’s major ports on the Indian Ocean handling volumes of both local and international cargo.

Mr Kaji also named regions of Arusha, Kilimanjaro and Morogoro as leading places in planting of marijuana.

Deliberating on the 2019 report, the commissioner said that during the year they managed to seize 325 Kg of marijuana, 893 Kilos of Khat, and 34 kilogrammes of heroin.

“In 2019 we destroyed several consignments of heroin and cocaine in Mbeya on two occasions,” he said.