DEC worried about use of children as drug couriers

The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has expressed worry at the continued trend by parents and barons to use children as illicit drug couriers.

DEC Commissioner Alita Mbahwe said recently, a 14 year old girl was arrested in Serenje district where parents left over 50 kilogrammes of cannabis with her to sell to the abusers, while they went into hiding.

ZANIS reports that Ms. Mbahwe was speaking in Kabwe at the just ended two days sensitisation workshop for chiefs in Central province, whose theme was, ‘one chief, five Industries’.

She called on chiefs to sensitise their subjects against using children in drug related issues.

She said chiefs’ voices were very much respected and can help to prevent the abuse of children in drug trafficking.

Ms. Mbahwe further said Central province has continued to record a high number of people arrested for trafficking in cannabis and miraa, adding that the province was also the hotbed spot concerning the growing of the psychotropic substances.

The Commissioner has further called upon chiefs to work with DEC in order to effectively preach the message that will make communities free of illicit drugs such as cannabis and miraa.

She added that a fight against the scourge of illicit drugs will be in vain without the chiefs’ support as their role in the battle goes to the root of the problem when it comes to cannabis cultivating and trafficking.

Ms. Mbahwe also urged chiefs to guard the communities against falling prey to vices such as white collar crimes.

According to the 2011 DEC report, Central province was leading in the amounts of cannabis seizures, accounting for 58 per cent of 83 kilograms of cannabis seeds seized countrywide.

And from January 2012 to date, a total number of 358 people have been arrested for drug related offences and a total of seven tonnes of cannabis has been seized in Central province.

ZANIS