THE Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA), in collaboration with the public and security agencies, has destroyed 1,165 acres of cannabis plantations and seized 102 kilograms of cannabis seeds.

Aretas Lyimo, the DCEA commissioner general, made this affirmation at a press conference here yesterday that the plantations were located along the banks of Mbakana, Misigiri and Mgeta rivers within Mikumi National Park.

The nine-day operation targeted Nyarutanga, Lujenge and Mafumbo villages in the Morogoro Rural and Kilosa districts, he said, noting that six individuals were arrested at Nyarutanga village with 342 kilograms of cannabis.

They are now awaiting legal proceedings, he said, pointing at significant environmental damage in the area, with trees cut down to make way for cannabis cultivation, hence diminishing the sustainability of natural vegetation, he said.

The damage in the park is disrupting the region's ecology on account of the erosion of natural habitats, while the rivers feed into the Julius Nyerere hydropower dam, crucial for electricity production capacity.

Local residents, especially the youth had volunteered to assist in destroying the plantations, he said, appreciating the cooperation of local authorities for supporting operations to combat drug production and trafficking.

He appealed to residents of Morogoro and other regions to cooperate with law enforcers to curb cannabis growing and other forms of drug trafficking.

Saidi Mijinga, a Kisaki resident who volunteered to help clear the plantations, said that a vast expanse of land was used for cannabis cultivation, projecting how it would help the villagers had it been used for growing appropriate crops.

It would provide food and income in market sales, he said, while Joseph Kibaya, a Nyarutanga resident, urged the public to always expose drug dealers and traffickers, due to the severe impact cannabis has on youths everywhere.

Last month DCEA stated that it has completed preparing a database for the pursuit of traffickers within and outside the country to track their movements.

The database is operational as the hidden actors operate within the country while others initiate movements from outside the country, he stated.

The general public needs to actively collaborate with DCEA in availing information on such undertakings, as the seizure was possible through citizen collaboration, he added.