At least 16 suspects have been detained by Tanzania’s anti-narcotics authorities in connection with the cultivation of 953 hectares of cannabis, the authorities said in a statement on Sunday.
The suspects were arrested during an eight-day special crackdown on the cultivation of cannabis in Arusha region north of the east African nation that started on May 31, said the statement by the Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA).
The statement said during the operation, specifically around the foot of Mount Meru, a dormant stratovolcano located 70 kilometers west of Mount Kilimanjaro in the southeast Arusha region, 953 hectares of cannabis were destroyed by the anti-narcotics authorities in collaboration with the police.
“The crackdown was intended to control the cultivation of cannabis in the country and it will be sustainable,” said Aretas Lyimo, the DCEA Commissioner-General.
Lyimo said the cultivation of cannabis has been mushrooming in some parts of the country.
