Tanzania’s crackdown on illicit drugs has significantly reduced the public availability of heroin and cocaine, but the country is now confronting a growing rise in alcohol abuse among young people.
The Commissioner General of the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA), Mr. Aretas James Lyimo, said sustained law enforcement operations have pushed hard drugs out of public spaces that were once associated with open drug use, particularly in parts of Dar es Salaam.
“Just a few years ago, heroin and cocaine were openly consumed in areas such as Mwananyamala, Mwenge, and Magomeni. Today, it is difficult to find such drugs being used publicly,” Lyimo said during a multi-stakeholder forum involving journalists and law enforcement officials.
He said many drug dealers and traffickers have been arrested and jailed, while the availability of heroin in the country has declined sharply.
Lyimo warned, however, that the success in suppressing hard drugs has been accompanied by a shift toward alcohol abuse, particularly among young people.
“Alcohol is legal and often perceived as less harmful, but without proper education and control, it poses serious social and public health risks,” Lyimo said, calling for stronger community awareness campaigns.
Out of nearly 90 rehabilitation centres (sober houses) operating nationwide, eight to nine facilities that previously treated drug addiction are now largely occupied by people struggling with alcohol dependency.
The DCEA chief credited Tanzanian media with playing a critical role in disrupting drug networks, saying public education has encouraged citizens to share intelligence on cannabis farms and trafficking routes.
“Many of our successful operations began with tips from citizens who were motivated by media reporting,” Lyimo said. “Through journalists, communities understand the threat and become part of the solution.”
The authority plans to expand capacity-building programmes for journalists, including training on drug laws, ethical reporting, and investigative techniques.
Despite the progress, Lyimo said traffickers have changed tactics as anti-corruption enforcement has tightened.
“Drug trafficking is inseparable from corruption. You cannot move drugs without bribery,” he said, adding that cooperation with the national anti-corruption agency has reduced opportunities for bribery, forcing traffickers to innovate.
“They remove seats in buses, create hidden compartments in trucks, and alter driver cabins and vehicle roofs to hide drugs,” Lyimo said.
Supply routes have also shifted, with traffickers increasingly moving drugs through neighbouring countries rather than directly via the Indian Ocean.
Journalists at the forum said limited resources continue to constrain investigative journalism, particularly in remote areas where drug cultivation occurs.
They called for stronger cross-border collaboration with reporters in Kenya, Uganda, and other countries to expose international trafficking networks.
Participants also urged authorities to engage digital influencers, including bloggers, YouTubers, and social media creators, to counter online content that glamorises drug use and to spread prevention messages to young audiences.
“With young people living online, digital platforms can either fuel the problem or help prevent it,” one media leader said.
Lyimo said the DCEA’s priorities include dismantling remaining cannabis and khat farms, strengthening intelligence-led operations, and deepening cooperation with journalists and communities.
“This is organised, transnational crime,” he said. “Without the media and public trust, many of these operations would not succeed.