THE Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA), in collaboration with other security and law enforcement agencies, has destroyed 336 acres of cannabis farms within Ikome forest reserve in Kondoa District, Dodoma Region.

Aretas Lyimo, the DCEA commissioner general, said on the sidelines of that operation yesterday that the operation is a significant step in the fight against drugs. 

The cannabis was intentionally mixed with other crops to conceal illegal activity, he said, noting that 148 kilograms of khat were seized during the operation.

"This is the first major operation of its kind in Dodoma, clearly indicating that cannabis cultivation is spreading in parts of the region,” he said, vowing robust measures to control the production, trade and use of drugs with all available resources.

From January to mid-February 2025, DCEA has seized a total of 790.528 kilogrammes of various types of drugs in Arusha, Mwanza, Mbeya, Mtwara and Dar es Salaam regions.

Several cannabis farms were destroyed and 114 individuals were arrested for their involvement in this illegal trade, he said, noting that in an operation in Dar es Salaam, three suspects were arrested with 32.16 kilograms of cannabis.

He detailed the haul as composed of skunk cannabis, with four additional suspects apprehended with 5.1 kilograms of heroin and five litres of caffeine anhydrous pure, a chemical used to increase the weight of drugs.

In Arusha Region, law enforcers seized 98.55 kilogrammes of cannabis, 162.111 kilogrammes of khat, 301 grams of heroin, and 195 grams of methadone, along with a rhino horn and 11 rounds of ammunition.

In another case, one person was arrested for cultivating cannabis seedlings inside their house using disposable plastic cups, he said, affirming that these results confirm that drug-related crimes are often linked to other criminal activities, including illegal arms trading and wildlife poaching. “The growing use of chemicals to adulterate drugs and increase their weight also poses significant health risks to users," the crime buster stressed. 

In the Lake Zone area of Rorya District, Mara Region, 24 acres of cannabis farms were destroyed and six suspects arrested, while along the coastal zone regions of Coast and Mtwara regions, along with Ruvuma Region on the shores of Lake Nyasa, 322.201 kilograms of cannabis, eight packets and 216 rolls of cannabis were seized, he further noted.

Four acres of cannabis farms were destroyed and eight suspects arrested in Mbeya Region, with 21 kilogrammes of cannabis seized and 11 suspects detained, he said, urging the public to collaborate with the agency by providing confidential information about appearances of drug trade in neighbourhoods.

 "Together, we can protect our society from the harmful effects of these dangerous drugs,” he said, intimating that DCEA will fight all drug trafficking networks and dismantle them across the country.

The public needs to report those engaged in the drug trade just as anyone found involved in the drug business would face the wrath of the law, he added.