WINDHOEK – The Namibian police recorded a sharp decline in the worth of drugs seized during the festive season compared to previous months. 

Drugs worth N$481 450 were seized during December 2019 compared to the month of November 2019 which recorded a staggering amount of more than N$8.1 million worth of drugs. 

In October 2019, N$835 595 worth of drugs were seized. The illicit drugs seized were cannabis weighting 31 238kg with a street value of N$371 600, mandrax tablets worth N$98 160, 5 grams of cocaine powder valued at N$2 500, 19 units of crack cocaine with a street value of N$1 900, a half moon crack cocaine valued at N$1 650 and 42 packets of cigarettes worth N$5 640.

Forty-one suspects were caught in connection to the drugs, of which 39 are Namibian nationals whilst two of the suspects were of Angolan and Tanzanian citizenship respectively.

For the month of November which recorded the highest value of illicit drugs valued at more than N$8.1 million, 80 suspects where arrested. 

Nampol’s spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Kaunapawa Shikwambi said the decline might be attributed to an attitude change in the public.

 “I believe that this decline is due to the successful arrests that the force has made over the years which has consequently resulted in the deterrence,” explained Shikwambi. 

She said the police will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that Namibia becomes a drug free country.
According to the drug report of October, Nampol’s research has shown that although Namibia in the past used to be regarded as a transit route for drugs to other destinations, this has however changed over the years. Statistics indicate that Namibia has become a user nation and the youth are the ones that are mostly using drugs. 

The police indicated that there is a need for a concerted effort to educate the youth on the dangers of drugs and to report drug dealers to the Namibian police in order to prevent future generation from drug addiction.