AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) have destroyed 243 kilogrammes of dangerous narcotic drugs, which were tendered as exhibits during hearing of 15 trials before the High Court’s Corruption and Economic Crime Division.
The incidence took place at the Twiga Cement Factory at Tegeta area, Dar es Salaam, over the weekend and was witnessed by High Court Judge Edwin Kakolaki, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Biswalo Mganga and the DCEA Commissioner for Inspections and Forensic Sciences, Ms Bertha Mamuya.
Among the drugs, there was 119.074kg of heroin, 3.93kg of cocaine and 120kg of bhang, which were seized in Dar es Salaam in various incidences.
The DPP explained that the destruction of the drugs was an execution of orders issued by the court.
Speaking during the exercise, Judge Kakolaki said the drugs have been destroyed because the cases under which they were tendered by the prosecution as exhibits have been concluded with accused persons either convicted or acquitted.
“According to the existing system, after the drug cases being filed in court and having received sample of the drugs, the court gives orders to destroy them when the trial is over. That is what has happened today,” he said.
He said the destruction of the drugs was done in collaboration with the relevant authorities, including the DPP, the DCEA, the National Environmental Management Council (NEMC), state attorneys as well as advocates to witnessing the implementation of court orders.
“Basically, the officials I have mentioned must be present to witness the court order for destruction of the exhibits that has been done openly so that Tanzanians know when the case is over they must be destroyed. This disproves street rumours that nothing is done over these drugs,” the judge said.
According to the prosecution, the case with a large amount of drugs was involving two Iranian nationals, Nabibakhs Bibarde, who was Captain of an Ark and Mohamadhanif Dorzade, an engineer, who were recently convicted of trafficking 111.02kg of heroin along the Indian Ocean.
Judge Imakulata Banzi sentenced them to 60 years in jail after convicting the duo of two offences of trafficking narcotic drugs.
She ruled that the prosecution sufficiently proved the case against the two foreigners beyond reasonable doubt after considering the evidence tendered by both partiesThe judge ordered each convict to go to jail for 30 years for trafficking 111.02kg of Heroin and other 30 years imprisonment for trafficking 235.78grammes of Cannabis Resin. Judge Banzi, however, directed both sentences to run co-current.
This means that the two convicted foreigners will remain behind bars for only 30 years. Apart from imposing such sentences, the judge also ordered the destruction of the drugs involved in the crime and confiscated the ark, which was used to traffic the drugs in question.
Nevertheless, the judge acquitted other 11 accused persons, including other eight Iran nationals and three Tanzanians, who were jointly charged with the two convicts during the trial.
The freed accused persons include Abdallah Sahib, UIbeidulla Abdi, Naim Ishaqa, Moslem Golmohamad, Rashid Badfar, Omary Ayoub, Tahir Mubarak and Abdulmajid Pirmuhamad, who are all Iran nationals and Tanzanians Ally Abdallah and Juma Amour.
