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A total of 11 suspects have been arrested in connection with various drug-related offenses.
The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) apprehended four individuals in Northern Province for trafficking 19.5 kilogrammes of dry loose cannabis.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Monday, Commission Public Relations Officer, Allan Tamba, said the arrested individuals were Raphael Kalumba, a 54-year-old male, Andrew Chishimba, a 23-year-old male, Chiyanga Chifunda, a 20-year-old male, and Samuel Mwamba, a 36-year-old male.
He added that additional individuals arrested included Onana Kizambi, a 59-year-old male, for trafficking 47 rolls of dry loose cannabis wrapped in dry banana leaves, and David Sikazwe, a 24-year-old male, for trafficking 8 rolls of dry loose cannabis wrapped in dry banana leaves.
“Additionally, 22 kilogrammes of abandoned cannabis was seized,” he stated.
Furthermore, in the North-Western Province, Tamba mentioned that the Commission arrested Ireen Kalenga, a 42-year-old female from the Mitec area in Solwezi, for trafficking 860 sachets of high-grade cannabis and compressed cannabis weighing a total of 31.3 kilogrammes.
“In addition to the cannabis, the Commission seized eleven thousand, five hundred and sixty-two Zambian Kwacha (ZMW11,562.00) cash from the suspect. The funds are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of the illicit drug trade,” he pointed out.
Moreover, Tamba said in Mwenzo village in Nakonde District of Muchinga Province, DEC officers apprehended Timothy Sichalwe, a 40-year-old male, for trafficking in 817 balls of cannabis and dry loose cannabis, with a combined total weight of 6.9 kilogrammes
“Another suspect, Emmanuel Simpasa, a 22-year-old male from Kasichila village, was arrested for trafficking in 2.4 kilogrammes of dry loose cannabis.”
Meanwhile, DEC has detained Anshel Simunyola, a 32-year-old male, for trafficking in 11 granules of cocaine.
Tamba also noted that the Commission, along with officers from Siavonga and Chirundu Districts, confiscated 3.71 tonnes of cannabis.
“The operation began with searches of targeted locations, where 1.1 kilogrammes of dry loose cannabis was seized from a house and 3.6 tonnes of fresh cannabis plants were seized in two fields, the same jointly owned by one male identified as Godfrey Mutala and other persons currently on the run,” he added.
He pointed out that a manhunt was launched to apprehend all the individuals involved in the matter in order to bring them to justice.
He mentioned that all suspects were in lawful custody awaiting court appearances.
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