THE government has tightened noose on illicit drugs and human trafficking, with over 86 illegal routes discovered, 2,400 drug dealers arrested and over 1,600 cases running in various courts in the country, for the past 100 days.
Home Affairs Minister Charles Kitwanga
said this in Dar es Salaam on Wednesday night, vowing not to leave any
stone unturned and tadding that tight security has been put in place to
track down culprits.
He was speaking on the achievements
attained so far by the Fifth Phase Government led by President John
Magufuli in an interview aired live on Wednesday night by the Tanzania
Broadcasting Corporation (TBC1).
“I am personally dismayed and annoyed
with the illegal business of narcotic drugs. This government has vowed
to fight the business by dealing with both small and big dealers,” he
said.
Mr Kitwanga noted that the business has
strong networks connecting local and international dealers and that the
government was well aware of all the channels and was determined to
block them.
“If there is anyone planning to engage
in this illegal business, he/she will not succeed. We are cleaning the
house from within (police force) by dealing with all the suspected
officials,” he said.
Mr Kitwanga noted that officials
entrusted with the tasks of tracking down illicit drug dealers will not
be spared, adding that investigation was underway to establish their
wealth and ways in which they were acquired.
“Those who have too much wealth must
explain their sources. We must break this network. We are arresting drug
barons, the ones who were once untouchables,” he said.
On human trafficking, Mr Kitwanga noted
that there are over 86 illegal routes in the country’s borders used for
human trafficking. “We have already established all the 86 illegal
entries and also managed to find out the network of transporters, their
stations and means,” he said.
Mr Kitwanga said due to such efforts
that most of the illegal immigrants were now being arrested near country
borders contrary to the previous trends where they were being arrested
hundreds of kilometres away.
He warned those engaging in the business
that their days were numbered as the government would soon reach them.
The minister noted that there were only 2,810 immigration officers in
the country, which was an insufficient number to thoroughly control the
situation.
He, however, enthused that with the
cooperation of all security forces, the government will eventually
triumph in the fight. Meanwhile, Mr Kitwanga directed the National
Identification Authority (NIDA) to ensure that all Tanzanians are
reached by December 31. “I have ordered NIDA officials to reach out to
all the Tanzanians by December 31.
I also want them to work closely with
the local government officials since they are the ones in a better
position to identify their people,” he observed. Mr Kitwanga noted that
he was equally concerned as President John Magufuli has been over the
179.6bn/- scandal at NIDA.
He called on officers assigned to
investigate the saga in which top officials of the agency are accused of
misusing funds to speed up their assignment to hasten other legal
procedures
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