Pubdate: Mon, 11 Jul 2005 Source: East African, The (Kenya) Contact: http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/current/ Forum: http://www.nationmedia.com/nationfm/forum/ Address: P.O. Box 49010, Nairobi, Kenya Copyright: 2005, Nation Media Group Ltd Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/af.htm (Asset Forfeiture) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis) 300 TANZANIAN DRUG TRAFFICKERS HELD IN FOREIGN JAILS Some 330 Tanzanians are languishing in various jails worldwide for drug trafficking as the country appears unable to stem drug-related offences. Over the past two years, at least 60 Tanzanians were arrested in foreign countries - including neighbouring Kenya and Uganda - for handling narcotic substances, with marijuana topping the list of most peddled drugs. Tanzania is the second largest marijuana producer in Africa, after South Africa. National Commission for Control of Illicit Drugs and Narcotics head Christopher Shekiondo said efforts to clamp down on the production, trafficking and consumption of marijuana had failed to contain the outlawed trade. Mr Shekiondo's frustration is echoed in a recent UN report showing that two per cent of all confiscated marijuana in the world in 2002 was found in Tanzania. The country ranked fourth worldwide. Last year, over 281.5 hectares of cannabis was destroyed in the fields, while between 1997 and last year, over two million kilogrammes of bhang were confiscated and 37,264 suspected peddlers arrested. Mr Babu. While the UN statistics indicate some major accomplishments in fighting the problem - with the confiscation of 90.4 tonnes of dried marijuana in 2002 - the report says the war against narcotics is far from being won. Implying that Tanzania was a yardstick for the continent's war on drugs, the report says that Africa's share of global seizures increased from 10 per cent to 32 per cent, while the share of the Americas decreased from 80 per cent to 61 per cent. It appears there has been a global upsurge in demand for cannabis and a corresponding increase in supply, mainly from southern Africa - with Tanzania, Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa being the region's biggest producers. Police in Arusha, Tanga and Kilimanjaro - where most of the marijuana plantations are found - admit that marijuana smugglers evade arrest by transporting the narcotic using coffins and donkeys to get through roadblocks. Police say the growers have retreated to remote areas in Mount Meru, Kilimanjaro and Usambara where the roads are impassable, making it difficult to mount an effective campaign. A senior policeman in Arusha said some corrupt government officials were also working with drug barons. They bribe junior police officers to transport marijuana in public service vans, with public servants accepting the risk as a way of supplementing their meagre salaries. Such officers earn a salary of $100 per month. Arusha Regional Police Commander James Kombe says statistics showed that over 60 per cent of the annual production of marijuana finds its way across the borders to the South African market. Some of it ends up in Europe and America, he added. The consumption of marijuana is also taking it toll on the population. Arusha Regional Commissioner Mohamed Babu says the country is fast joining the ranks of regions with large numbers of drug addicts. Statistics at Arusha's Mount Meru Hospital show that from January to June, 78 people have been treated for drug addiction. The situation is the same in Tanga, where dozens of youths are admitted at the main Bombo Hospital for drug-related illnesses. "Our sole mental asylum is already crowded with people who have almost become lunatics because of hemp," a Mount Meru hospital nurse told The EastAfrican last week. Mr Kombe has vowed to eliminate marijuana plantations. His force has been using helicopters to patrol the areas. "We will keep up the pressure until we eradicate all the fields here. We are keeping up our vigilance," he said. UN data shows that Tanzania is fast becoming known for industrial drugs. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth