By the Respondent Reporter
Tanzania seized 1,983.31 kilograms of narcotics in March, equivalent to 64% of all drug seizures recorded during the month, as authorities uncovered new trafficking networks spanning passenger buses, cargo trucks, student hostels and border routes, the country’s anti-drug agency said on Monday.
The monthly enforcement update, delivered by the Commissioner General of the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA), pointed to an increasing shift toward rural and cross-regional trafficking operations, particularly involving khat (mirungi), after sustained pressure on industrial-scale synthetic drug operations.
One of the largest interceptions took place in Dar es Salaam’s Tegeta Kibo area, where officers seized 101.2 kg of khat hidden inside the air-conditioning ducts of a passenger bus travelling from Mombasa, Kenya, to Dar es Salaam.
Several suspects were arrested, including the bus driver, conductor and alleged receivers linked to Tanga, Mombasa and Dar es Salaam’s Kariakoo commercial district, according to the DCEA.
In another major case, officers intercepted narcotics hidden among second-hand clothing bales aboard a Fuso truck destined for Mwanza port, while separate raids in Mwanza, Tanga, Arusha and Kilimanjaro uncovered additional consignments moved through Toyota sedans, minibuses and even a three-wheeler taxi.
The DCEA said community leaders and locally prominent individuals were increasingly being used as couriers, with traffickers betting their status would help avoid scrutiny at checkpoints.
“We will continue arresting all those involved regardless of their social status or public profile,” the commissioner said.
A separate raid in Kijitonyama, Dar es Salaam, exposed a suspected distribution node near an education zone after officers recovered 144 packets of skunk cannabis from a student hostel, leading to the arrest of the hostel manager.
Authorities said the case highlighted the risk of narcotics networks expanding into student residential facilities, prompting a public appeal to hostel owners and administrators to work closely with law enforcement.
Beyond narcotics, the March crackdown also targeted precursor chemicals and controlled medicines, with inspectors seizing 3,012.5 kg and 17,960 litres of restricted industrial chemicals, including potassium permanganate, hydrochloric acid, acetone and sulfuric acid, during inspections of chemical firms, pharmacies, parcel services and ports.
The agency said the chemicals could have been diverted into the manufacture of illicit drugs.
Officials also confiscated 286 tablets of controlled prescription medicines, including alprazolam, clonazepam, codeine and zolpidem, as well as 1,001 ketamine vials, warning that uncontrolled use of such substances carries addiction risks comparable to narcotics.
The DCEA said the March seizures reflected new trafficking methods and evolving concealment techniques, including the use of buses, freight cargo, roadside produce, student residences and prominent intermediaries.
Authorities said operations would continue in rural areas, border crossings, waterways and urban centres as part of a wider push to eliminate narcotics trafficking routes across Tanzania.
