ZAMBIA arrested 1,279 people over various drug-related offences in the first quarter of 2019, its anti-drug agency said on Wednesday.

The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), however, said the arrests represented seven per cent reduction from 1, 376 arrests recorded in the same period in 2018.

Theresa Katongo, the anti-drug spokesperson said of the total arrests, 1,206 are males and 73 females, adding that the total arrests included 78 juveniles.

“Of the total arrests, 171 convictions were recorded with 112 cases disposed of through other legal provisions while 996 cases are  still pending at various stages of the court processes at the end of the quarter under review,” she said in a statement.

The anti-drug agency, she said, also seized cannabis plants, herbs and seeds totaling 13.47 tonnes compared to 24.76 tonnes during the same period in 2018.

This representing a reduction of 45.6 per cent while other seizures included 1.88 tonnes of miraa and 7.7 kilogrammes of heroin.

She further revealed that notable trends unearthed during the quarter included the increase in trafficking of miraa from Ethiopia through Zambia as a transit country to Europe, North America, South Africa, Namibia and Angola by identified cartels. (Xinhua/NAN)

– Apr. 10, 2019 @ 18:45 GMT |