DRUG dealers are increasingly renting houses to use as storage warehouses while living elsewhere, the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) has observed.

Aretas Lyimo, the DCEA commissioner general, told a press conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, that drug dealers now prefer to rent houses, turning them into storage facilities for drugs, while residing in other locations.

He urged landlords to report any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities, as failure to do so could lead to legal consequences like confiscation of property, fines or imprisonment.

“When a landlord is aware of illegal activities in their property and fails to report it, legal actions may be taken, including fines of up to 50m/-  or imprisonment,” he specified.

He said that seven individuals had been arrested in connection with the seizure of 2,207.56 kilograms of heroin, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other drugs by the in Dar es Salaam and Tanga regions.

On November 14, anti-drug enforcers apprehended Mohammed Suleiman Bakari and Sullesh Said Mhailoh, both residents of Mabibo suburb in the commercial capital, with 1,350.4 kilograms of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), otherwise known as skunk, readied for the black market, he said.

On the same date, Iddy Mohamed Iddy, a resident of Chanika Buyuni on the outskirts of the city, was arrested with 150.2 kilograms of skunk stored in a rented house in the area.

Further, on November 17 in Tanga Region, suspects Ally Kassim and Fahad Ally Kassim were arrested with 706.96 kilogrammes of heroin and methamphetamine stored in a rented house. Some of the drugs were also found in a Toyota Noah vehicle, he elaborated.

On November 19, officers arrested Michael Dona Mziwanda, residing at Tabata Segerea, and Tumpale Bernard Mwasakila of Temeke Mikoroshini, for possession of fentanyl.

Three vehicles and a boat belonging to the suspects were also seized during the operation, with the commissioner stressing that if the drugs had entered the market, they would have caused significant harm.

This is especially so for individuals who have not yet started using drugs or those in recovery, he added.