ANB-BIA SUPPLEMENT

ISSUE/EDITION Nr 321 - 01/04/1997

Tanzania

Drug trafficking

by Ernest Zulu, Tanzania, January 1997

THEME = DRUGS

INTRODUCTION

Until the late 1970s, Tanzania was "clean" as regards international crime. The drug barons took advantage of this situation, and now things have changed

An increasing number of Tanzanian youths, mostly in urban areas, are both traffickers and users of illegal drugs. Authorities are worried that the country which was once a safe place to live in, is rapidly becoming a centre for drugs.
Society in general has been affected by the changing scene. The Attorney General attributes the increasing number of socially related offenses such as rape, to drugs. A state attorney, Matilda Phillip says that of late she had been dealing with many social related cases involving youth. Most of them have been rape cases. When asked what they had to say for themselves, the young people in question simply said they had committed the offenses while under the influence of drugs
. The falling-off in education standards is also ascribed to using drugs.

Anti-Drug Committee

Tanzanian authorities have formed a ten-man Anti-Drug Committee but little has been achieved in curbing drug trafficking. "It's an uphill task", admits Peter Hassen an immigration officer who is also a member of the Anti-Drugs Committee.
For some years, Tanzania had been a safe drug trafficking transit point to South Africa, Europe and the United States. Why? Because the country was considered to be "clean" so very few checks were carried out.
This situation of "innocence" has now changed. Senior police officers are now aware that Tanzania is an important transit point for drug trafficking. In early 1996, police impounded more than six tons of resin worth six million dollars, about to be transported to Belgium. About two years ago some 1,696.000 tablets of Mandrax were impounded in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania's capital.
According to police statistics, from early 1995 to mid-1996, about 4,980 youths were arrested because of some connection with the drugs-trade. During the same period, several Tanzanians (mostly youths), were detained or jailed abroad in connection with drug pushing or trafficking. Many were jailed in Pakistan, Italy and Iran.
Social scientists say the fact that Tanzanians are being caught abroad in connection with the illicit drugs trade, should warn the authorities at home that all is not well.

Street children

Already streets in the towns and cities are crowded with street children, some of them beggars, others thieves. Efforts are being made by various groups, including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO) to rehabilitate drug addicts.
Several rehabilitation centres have been established. The largest referral hospital in the country, Muhimbili Medical Centre, admits psychiatric cases. The head of the unit, Dr Gady Kilonzo, notes how easy it is for drug barons to lure street children and others into their nets. It is estimated that street children are in possession of a least a quarter of the drugs impounded yearly.
For years, the police know that cannabis has been grown in some southern regions, for family consumption, but it's difficult to force people stop growing it. However, it's obvious now that some are exploiting the situation and grow the plant to make hard cash.

Government efforts

In a bid to curb drug trafficking, the government has recently issued a new passport which is thought to be difficult to forge. But drug traffickers are able to get round this difficulty as many of them are in possession of passports of different nationalities. The anti-drug squad is now aware that drugs such as cocaine and heroin, are sometimes shipped into the country, hidden in television sets and refrigerators. But the Tanzanian police lack drug-detecting devices.
Drugs are repacked into smaller packages and given to young men to swallow, before travelling from Dar es Salaam to final destinations.
The police know what's going on but when drug carriers are arrested, it's clear they don't know who their real "employers" are, because there are a lot of middlemen in the business.
In April 1996, Tanzania's parliament passed a law aimed at curbing illegal drug businesses in the country. The law involves the usage of dangerous drugs and plants, and sets the fine for drug related offenses, at about 17,543 dollars or life imprisonment, or both.
Also, an interministerial Anti-Drug Commission chaired by the Prime Minister has been formed, so as to inject more life and vigour into the war against dangerous drugs.
"But all these efforts will be in vain", says Dr Kilonzo a member of the Commission, "unless the root cause, unemployment, is tackled".
It's encouraging to note that one NGO, dedicated to imparting anti- drug education in order to eradicate the problem, has set aside Tanz.Sh. 300 million, to rehabilitate youths who wish to start earning their living in a legal way.

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PeaceLink 1997 - Reproduction authorised, with usual acknowledgement