2013-12-20Staff Report 2 • All indications are that drug use is on the increase over the festive season TSUMEB – Exceptional work by the Namibian police in the Oshikoto Region on Wednesday resulted in the confiscation of 248 bags of dagga worth about N$198 300. The dagga, which was neatly wrapped in brown paper in the bags, was seized during a routine search at a police roadblock. The cannabis weighed 66.1 kilogrammes. The two suspects, a male (48) and a female (50) who are both Namibians were arrested on the spot. Wednesday’s drug bust is the biggest quantity of the prohibited drug ever seized in the Tsumeb area and was the result of good old-fashioned police work. “The bags of dagga were hidden in plain sight in the hope law enforcement would overlook them,” explained police regional public relations officer Warrant-Officer Iseskar Arachab. The bags in which the dagga was stashed were marked ‘no problem’. At a media briefing on Wednesday afternoon Arachab said signs are that drug use in the country is increasing. “We can confidently say for someone to take the risk of trying to go through a roadblock during the festive season is a sign of desperation. There is now a much higher market,” Arachab said. Police believe Tsumeb to be the point from which the drugs were to be supplied to Grootfontein and other northern parts of the country where demand is high. The two suspects claimed to have been travelling from Gobabis to Tsumeb, Arachab said. Chief Inspector Bernhard Nghuulivali urged those dealing in dagga and other drugs to stop because they are corroding Namibia’s future. “You are busy destroying this nation, because when a person uses drugs their psyche is negatively affected. I am warning them to cease these practices immediately,” said Nghuulivali. Both suspects were calm and collected during their arrest, with the woman being overly confident. “When officers asked who the bags belonged to, the female suspect said with confidence that the bags, which were filled with dagga, belonged to her. The male suspect claimed he was just giving the female a lift to Tsumeb,” said Nghuulivali. Nghuulivali applauded the officers for exceptional work, warning those who want to take chances. “We are really conducting searches at roadblocks, we do not want our region to become a transit for illegal drugs and we will do whatever it takes to bring those who are responsible to book,” he said. Nghuulivali also warned the general public to be careful who they give rides to because innocent bystanders have been arrested in the vicious drug circle. “Both suspects including the female suspect who is the alleged owner of the bags were arrested meaning they are co-culprits. When you give someone a lift you do not know what that person is carrying and when you are stopped and searched these substances might be found in your vehicle and both the driver and the owner of the substances get arrested,” said Nghuulivali. By John Travolter Matali 2013-12-20Staff Report 2
