Tanzanian authorities seize, destroy 56 ha of cannabis plants

Authorities in Tanzania's lake zone district of Tarime have seized 20 sacks of dried cannabis and destroyed 56 hectares of the plant for the past three days in the ongoing narcotics crackdown.

Glorius Luoga, Tarime District Commissioner said on Sunday that the crackdown has been possible due to his task force established to fight against illegal narcotic drugs business in the area.

He said the task force arrested drug moguls including those cultivating or importing it from the neighboring Kenya.

Luoga, who is also the District Security Committee chairman, noted that the operation was conducted between February 13 and 15, this year across the district, which is located on the eastern shores of Lake Victoria.

"We have so far arrested 14 people in connection with illicit drugs," the official said, noting that police were still looking for suspects who escaped during the operation.

The District Commissioner urged the residents to venture into other agricultural projects that are likely to earn them a lot of money. He said the area is endowed with the best soil that can be used to grow various crops such as banana, onions, Irish potatoes, sunflower, maize, and vegetables.

Tarime is one of the notorious areas in northwestern Tanzania for illegal cultivation of marijuana, which are partly sold in the country's major cities like Mwanza and the remaining exported to as far as neighboring Kenya.

Police in Mara region have been regularly destroying hundreds of hectares of marijuana farms in the country's Lake Zone regions. Endit