DEC ARRESTS 533 DRUG DEALERS IN 3 MONTHS

The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has arrested 533, people of whom 515
are Zambians since the beginning of the year for unlawful possession of drugs.

The commission says it has already secured 183 convictions through the
courts of law while illicit drugs estimated at K9.20 billion have been
seized between January 1 and February 28, 2003.

DEC acting public relations officer Trevor Malambo said in Lusaka yesterday
that among those arrested were 515 Zambians, six Britons, three Somalis,
three Congolese from the DR Congo. Others included two Zimbabweans, one
Angolan, one Tanzanian, one Lebanese and one Irish.

Mr Malambo said the largest quantity of drugs seized was that of cannabis
with 12.1 tonnes followed by miraa/khat weighing 16.3 kilogrammes.

He said six people were also arrested for unlawfully cultivating and
trafficking in 93.45 kilogrammes of cannabis worth K70.09 million.

He said the five were arrested in Chief Chitina's area and warned that the
commission would live no stone unturned in its efforts to get rid of
illicit drugs in the country.

He said this was timely warning to all those involved in drugs trafficking
or cultivation to immediately stop before the law visits them.

Mr Mulenga said all persons arrested would appear in court soon.

Meanwhile, the commission says it would continue to monitor Mpongwe farming
area which had become prone to cannabis cultivation and where 75
kilogrammes of cannabis plants were uprooted from a maize field in Lukanga
settelement scheme on Thursday.