Tanzania’s anti-narcotics authorities have detained at least 16 suspects in connection with the cultivation of 953 hectares of cannabis, the authorities said in a statement.
The authorities arrested the suspects during an eight-day special crackdown on the cultivation of cannabis in the Arusha region.
The operation started on May 31, the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) said in the statement.
DCEA carried out the operation, specifically around the foot of Mount Meru, a dormant stratovolcano located 70 kilometres west of Mount Kilimanjaro in the southeast Arusha region.
It destroyed 953 hectares of cannabis, in collaboration with the Police.
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“The crackdown is to control the cultivation of cannabis in the country and it will be sustainable,” said Aretas Lyimo, the DCEA Commissioner-General.
Lyimo said the cultivation of cannabis has been mushrooming in some parts of the country.
It is illegal to possess or use cannabis in Tanzania, under the DCEA Act of 2015. (Xinhua)
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