5,241 Arrested For Drug Abuse In Zambia

Anti-drug authorities in Zambia arrested 5,241 people in 2018 over drug-related offences, a government spokesperson said on Monday.

The arrests represent a nine per cent reduction from the previous year’s 5,757.

Drug Enforcement Commission spokesperson, Theresa Katongo, said that 375 females and 4,866 males were arrested in 2018, including 295 juveniles aged between 11 and 17 years.

A total of 1,888 convictions were recorded during the year against 77 acquittals, with a further 2,804 cases pending in the courts of law at various stages, she said.

The authorities, she added, also seized 128.82 tonnes of cannabis plants and 22.3 tonnes of cannabis herbs during the year.

Other drugs seized in 2018 included 177.75 kilogrammes of miraa, 57.11 kilogrammes of ephedrine, 2.32 kilogrammes of cocaine and 4.12 kilogrammesg of heroin.