The Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) has confiscated 1,815 kilograms of marijuana in an operation conducted in Luguruni, Mbezi, and Magomeni areas in Dar Es Salaam.
Five individuals have been arrested in connection with this drug seizure.
DCEA Commissioner General Aretas Lyimo announced that the suspects include Richard Henry Mwanri, a 47-year-old businessman from Mbezi Makonde, Kinondoni District, and Felista Henry Mwanri, a 70-year-old farmer from Luguruni Mbezi, Ubungo District, who owns the property where the drugs were found.
The other arrested individuals are Athumani Koja Mohamed, a 58-year-old businessman from Tanga; Omary Chande Mohamed, a 32-year-old Bajaji driver from Buza, Dar es Salaam; and Juma Abdallah Chapa, a 36-year-old resident of Kiwalani, Dar es Salaam. The operation also led to the seizure of a Mitsubishi Pajero with registration number T 551 CAB and a Bajaji with registration number MC 844 CZV.
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Richard Mwanri is known for importing drugs from various countries and smuggling them into the country by hiding them among other goods before distributing them to dealers nationwide.
Recently, there has been an increase in the seizure of marijuana, particularly skunk
a potent form of cannabis with high levels of the toxic chemical Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Skunk can cause severe cognitive impairment, non-communicable diseases such as heart, kidney, and liver conditions, and can adversely affect fetal development when used by pregnant women, leading to low birth weight and developmental issues.