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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Uganda Now Drug Hub, Admits Police Zurah Nakabugo AllAfrica Thursday 23 May 2013 The police admit that drug trafficking is becoming a problem in Uganda, with many travellers frequently arrested for the offence in foreign countries. The Police Commissioner in charge of Narcotics, James Kyomukama, told Zurah Nakabugo that Uganda had become a drug trafficking hub. How do these drugs enter the country? Some drugs are grown here like cannabis (marijuana) and others are smuggled in by foreigners and nationals from India and Latin America. Some foreigners use our airport to transit the drugs because of weak laws but their destination is Kenya, Tanzania and European countries. Most of the suspects, who have been arrested with drugs at Entebbe airport, have been found to have swallowed them. The recent case is the Guinean national who had swallowed 27 male condoms stuffed with liquid narcotic drugs. His flight records showed that he had left Panama for Uganda, to meet his colleagues in Kampala and then connect to Kenya. Other drugs enter the country concealed in powder, Vaseline, liquids. They come by air, road and water transport. What measures have you put in place at Entebbe airport to detect drugs? There are police narcotics and aviation officers who monitor passengers through observation, detector machines, scanners and use of sniffer dogs. We are also sensitising people in different districts about the dangers of narcotics. Which types of drugs do people deal in here? Marijuana is planted by nationals on many acres of land, while heroin, cocaine and opium are brought in by foreigners and used by a few Ugandans. Where in Uganda, do people grow these narcotics? In Busia most people hire their land to Kenyans to grow cannabis because they can't plant it in Kenya since the law is tough there. After planting it here, they traffic it to Kenya and then smuggle it to other countries. In May last year, 30 bags of cannabis were impounded at Busia border on its way to Kenya and the suspects were convicted. What happens when you take these drugs? These [drugs] affect your brain, health, memory and eyesight. These are the people who end up raping animals, defiling children, murdering people and robbing because it affects their brain and they become lunatics. How many people are convicted over drug trafficking in the country? On average 50 people are convicted over marijuana monthly, and seven people on other types of drugs like opium, cocaine and heroin. Very few people are jailed over drugs in Uganda compared to many who deal in it. This is because they plead guilty in courts and are able to pay the fine, which is less than Shs 1m, yet they are dealing in drugs worth billions of shillings. How many cases of narcotics were reported to police last year? There were 720 cases reported, 780 people arrested and 312 people convicted. Reported cases of cannabis cultivation were six, 48 acres of cannabis plants were destroyed, six people were arrested and three people convicted for cannabis farming. Some 70kg of cannabis seeds were seized, two people arrested and one person convicted. Some 200kg of fake pharmaceuticals were seized from shops, eight people arrested and three convicted. Cannabis (marijuana) cultivation is on the rise in the country because most people take it as a cash crop and others rent out their land to grow it. Every year we have a joint operation with Kenyan police to destroy cannabis and sensitise people. Some politicians have accused police officers of using drugs. It is a lie. Some situations make people behave like that [wildly]. It is part of training to look different from others in cases of riots. It is said that after seizing these drugs police constables sell them. No. We get a court order and destroy them in the presence of government chemists [and other officials and journalists]. [Last year, we destroyed] over 2,257kg of cannabis, 20kg of heroin, cocaine and meta-amphetamine. http://allafrica.com/stories/201305240270.html?viewall=1
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