The Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) has seized a total of 18,078.41 kilograms of illicit drugs in operations conducted across 14 regions in Tanzania between July and September 2026.
DCEA Commissioner General, Aretas Lyimo, said this today in Dar es Salaam while briefing the media on operations carried out in Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Morogoro, Tabora, Shinyanga, Mwanza, Mara, Dodoma, Mbeya, Lindi, Mtwara and Ruvuma regions.
He said that of the total amount seized, 11,504.76 kilograms were cannabis, 6,529.5 kilograms were khat (miraa), 44.45 kilograms were skunk cannabis and 41.25 grams were heroin.
A total of 289 suspects were arrested during the operations, of whom 169 have been taken to court, while legal procedures against the others are ongoing.
According to Commissioner Lyimo, the operations also led to the seizure of eight vehicles, one three-wheeled motorcycle (bajaji) and 40 motorcycles that were allegedly used in activities related to drug trafficking.
He said cannabis continued to account for the largest quantities in terms of production and seizures, particularly in Morogoro and Tabora regions. In Morogoro, authorities seized 6,299.24 kilograms of cannabis and 226 kilograms of cannabis seeds, while in Tabora, 4,650.86 kilograms of cannabis and 203 kilograms of cannabis seeds were seized.
Regarding khat, Commissioner Lyimo said the operations revealed the use of motorcycles and passenger buses to transport the drug, particularly in Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Dodoma regions, where a total of 6,412.89 kilograms of khat were seized.
He said that in one of the incidents, three suspects were arrested while transporting 238 bundles of khat weighing 125.33 kilograms in a RATCO bus with registration number T.443 EMG, which was travelling between Tanga and Dar es Salaam.
He added that in Uyui District, Tabora Region, 21.95 kilograms of cannabis were seized from a TATA vehicle with registration number T.381 DWU, which was travelling between Uyui and Kahama. Five suspects were arrested in connection with the incident.
Following the findings, Commissioner Lyimo urged owners and operators of passenger buses and vehicles to strengthen cargo controls, conduct thorough inspections of their vehicles and improve staff supervision to prevent their vehicles from being used to transport illicit drugs.
He said that at the passenger screening area at the Port of Dar es Salaam, DCEA detected cases involving passengers attempting to transport illicit drugs. A Turkish national was arrested with 1.87 grams of skunk cannabis, a Kenyan national was found with 3.89 grams of khat, while a Nigerian national was arrested with 4.6 grams of cannabis. In Arusha Region, two South African nationals were arrested with a combined 65.8 grams of skunk cannabis.
During the operations, DCEA also prevented the entry into the country of a consignment of sulphuric acid weighing 64 million kilograms after its electronic system detected discrepancies in the information submitted for the importation of the chemical and found that its legitimate use had not been clearly established.
Commissioner Lyimo also said motorcycles continued to be used in the transportation of khat, particularly in the northern corridor covering Tanga, Kilimanjaro and Arusha.
He said that despite the achievements, the Authority had identified some dishonest individuals outside DCEA who were allegedly exploiting gaps in drug-control operations to engage in corruption and criminal activities.
He said some of the individuals had been targeting drug traffickers, arresting them and confiscating their drugs before allegedly demanding bribes. Others were reportedly threatening to hand them over to the Authority if they refused to comply with their demands.
Commissioner Lyimo urged members of the public to report individuals involved in illicit drug activities so that legal action could be taken against them.