Why maritime vigilance is vital in Tanzania’s fight against drug trafficking

Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s picturesque coastline—renowned for its rich fisheries, coral reefs, and bustling ports—is more than just an economic asset and natural wonder.

It is also a critical frontline in the fight against transnational drug trafficking, a hidden battle that poses serious threats to the nation’s security, health, and economic stability.

Stretching hundreds of kilometres, the East African coast forms part of what experts term the “Heroin Coast”—a notorious trafficking corridor through which an estimated 30 to 40 tonnes of heroin transit annually, according to the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime.

Hidden routes and evolving tactics

Drug smugglers have long exploited Tanzania’s vast and often unmonitored shoreline, using informal landing sites, fishing vessels, and traditional dhows to evade detection by law enforcement.

Research, including Jacobsen’s 2018 study, has shown that traffickers from countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan often drop consignments offshore, where smaller boats retrieve them and ferry the drugs to remote beaches or coastal villages under cover of darkness.

Once ashore, well-coordinated smuggling networks—often sustained by bribery and occasional community complicity—facilitate the inland distribution of narcotics across Tanzania and into neighbouring countries and global markets.

However, Tanzanian authorities say progress is being made in dismantling these networks and tightening coastal surveillance.

“Today, increased surveillance and intelligence-sharing have made it far more difficult for traffickers to operate,” said Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) Commissioner General Aretus Lyimo, in an interview with The Citizen.

He cited several notable successes, including the seizure of 3.5 tonnes of heroin in Kigamboni and the interception of more than 11 tonnes of narcotics disguised as fertiliser in Dar es Salaam.

In one such operation at an inland container depot in Temeke, authorities uncovered 11,031.42 kilogrammes of Mitragyna speciosa—a narcotic substance imported from Sri Lanka—hidden in packages falsely labelled as fertiliser.

“These substances pose serious health risks. They affect the nervous system, cause addiction, and in some cases, can lead to sudden death,” warned Mr Lyimo.

Mounting public health and governance costs

While traffickers reap enormous profits, Tanzanian communities bear the brunt of the fallout.

The country is facing a growing heroin addiction crisis. According to a 2021 report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), nearly 18 percent of people who inject drugs in Tanzania are HIV-positive, placing a significant burden on the already stretched public health system.

Beyond health implications, drug trafficking erodes institutional integrity. Corruption thrives when criminal networks bribe officials, weakening public trust in law enforcement and governance.

The case for maritime vigilance

Despite the scale of the challenge, experts argue that with the right tools and political will, Tanzania can significantly enhance its maritime security—and in doing so, protect both lives and national resources.

UNODC estimates that reducing heroin trafficking by just 20 percent could save the country over $35 million annually in law enforcement costs and healthcare expenditure.

Neighbouring Kenya provides a compelling model. Since upgrading its coastal radar systems and deploying new patrol infrastructure in 2020, Kenya has improved its drug interdiction success rate by 17 percent, according to reports from the Kenya Ports Authority.

Experts recommend that Tanzania invest in modern Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) systems, including automated vessel tracking, risk-based profiling, and container scanning technologies, to identify illicit cargo before it reaches shore.

Securing the future

Protecting Tanzania’s maritime borders is not merely a security concern—it is a national imperative tied to economic and social wellbeing.

Drug trafficking diverts critical resources that could otherwise support public services such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure.

“As Tanzania advances its Blue Economy agenda, maintaining vigilant control over our waters is essential,” said a senior maritime official, who requested anonymity.

The official added: “The ocean should be a bridge to opportunity—not a gateway for destruction. Every shipment we intercept is a life saved and a future secured.”

Ultimately, a combination of vigilance, modern surveillance technology, and community engagement will be key to safeguarding Tanzania’s coastline—and its people—from the destructive tide of narcotics trafficking.