Police seize N$26m illicit drugs

THE Namibian Police have confiscated over N$26 million worth of drugs, contraband cigarettes and abortion-inducing tablets in the first nine months of this year, based on statistics provided to The Namibian by police spokesperson Edwin Kanguatjivi yesterday.

This also resulted in the arrests of 956 suspects from 1 January to the end of September. The value of the contraband is based on the current street value per unit of the respective drugs, Kanguatjivi stated.

Of the confiscated drugs, cannabis had the biggest haul at 2,3 tonnes with a street value at N$23 million, followed by 24,2kg of cannabis plants worth N$35 660.

Mandrax tablets were the second-most confiscated at 8 638 tablets, with a value of N$1 505 280. Cocaine was the third-most confiscated with a value of N$680 800, which comprised 1,5kg of powder and seven ‘bullets’ (a package of several grammes of powder swallowed by drug mules with the intention to smuggle them).

Crack cocaine saw 1 635 units (rocks) confiscated with a value of N$182 600.

A total of 25kg of crystal meth worth N$12 500, and 253g of ‘magic mushrooms’ worth N$12 540, were also among the drugs confiscated since the start of the year.

Other illegal substances confiscated were 55 ‘abortion-inducing pills’ worth N$19 718, and N$493 190 worth of contraband ‘Yes’ cigarettes.

Of the 956 suspects arrested, 878 were Namibians. The other nationalities included Angolans (27), Congolese (22), Tanzanians (12), Zambians (4), South Africans (4), Swazis (3), Burundians (3), Mozambican (1), Ethiopian (1) and Zimbabwean (1).

“These statistics are until September. We have confiscated more drugs and arrested more people since then. This is an ongoing war which we are determined to win, and the perpetrators must know that. We don’t want your drugs destroying our nation,” Kanguatjivi stressed. He said Namibia, with its relatively small population of about 2,5 million, has become a “user nation” which is importing drugs for the local market. In the past, Namibia was more of a “transit nation”.

“This is very sad, considering the impact of drugs on societies,” he told this newspaper, adding that sentences for both users and dealers should be stiffer to send a strong message that drug abuse or peddling will not be tolerated. Kanguatjivi added that the problem is that many suspects are given light sentences, or are granted bail, just to fall back into the “lucrative illegal activity”, when considering that this year alone drugs worth more than N$26 million were confiscated.

“Those are the drugs we managed to intercept and confiscate, and which led to arrests. There are many others who get away undetected, which could dramatically increase the amount of illegal substances and dealing taking place. It’s a big problem, which all stakeholders have to work together to eradicate,” the police spokesperson said.

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