following a two-day countrywide operation conducted by Tanzania Police in collaboration with Interpol.
Dubbed “Usalama III” the operation was initiated and conducted simultaneously in the Eastern and Southern Africa regions (EAPCCO and SARPCCO) member countries.
Addressing reporters yesterday in Dar es Salaam, the Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Diwani Athuman said the operation was done between June 29 and 30, this year in all regions which were divided into eight zones namely the Lake Zone, Dar es Salaam, central, southern, northern, western, southern highlands zone and Zanzibar.
The DCI disclosed that legal measures will be taken against them and that they will be arraigned in court soon after investigation completes.
According to him, the operation was conducted to weed out terrorism and drug trafficking, intercept stolen vehicles, human trafficking, illegal firearms as well as illegal immigrants.
“The idea to conduct the operation at the same time was to deny criminals chance to escape operations from one region to another,” he noted.
He said that joint operations have been useful due to the fact that the operation intercepted 666 pieces of elephant tusks worth 4.6bn/- whereas nine suspects were caught regarding the issue. The police also caught one submachine gun, 11 homemade guns, 104 round of ammunitions and 15 pieces of explosives.
During the operation, police also intercepted 10 vehicles believed to have been stolen from South Africa, England and Malaysia, 12 motorcycles, illicit drugs including 83 grams of heroin, 398.6kg of bhang and 30kgs of marijuana.
The operation also seized 20kgs of Acquamiline smoky quartz minerals as well as three mineral companies working illegally in the country which are Delicore Metal Company ltd, Madandwa Gold Mining Export Import (T) ltd and Adex Mining Co. ltd.
The operation found 43 illegal immigrants who were caught in Rukwa, Kagera, Shinyanga and Tabora Regions.
Also four people were caught engaged in illegal connection of electricity thus denying the country its revenues.
During the operation, 410 wood and 59 sack of charcoal were caught being transported without a permit.
He called upon residents to collaborate with police through community policing and provide timely information that can facilitate such operations and contribute to protecting our economy.
“We are committed to enhance our intelligence, protect our financial system, and strengthen interdiction, investigation and prosecution, as well as disrupting illicit drug trade, its facilitation and other predicate threats,” he said
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