DEC Seizes Drugs, Arrests Suspected Suppliers in Countrywide Operation

by Saviour Simulindi

The Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) has arrested several suspects and seized various illicit drugs in a series of intelligence-led operations conducted across Zambia under its intensified Operation Kufeza. In Muchinga Province, officers arrested suspects in Chinsali and Isoka in connection with the unlawful cultivation of cannabis weighing 183 kilogrammes combined, while another suspect was arrested in Nakonde for allegedly trafficking 84.6 kilogrammes of dry loose cannabis. In Mpika, a 27-year-old woman, Mirriam Nambela, was arrested for allegedly trafficking 563 sachets of cocaine and 15 sachets of high-grade cannabis. Officers also seized K6,050 cash suspected to be proceeds of crime.

On the Copperbelt, a 48-year-old man, Mwangala Mwaibiba, was arrested in Ndola for allegedly trafficking 44.2 kilogrammes of cannabis, which was reportedly concealed in fifteen 20-litre buckets. Meanwhile, in Lusaka Province, two suspects, Leslie Nkonka, 31, and Charles Mwiza Msiska, 23, were arrested for allegedly trafficking 71 sachets of high-grade cannabis, 10 tablets of Benzhexol, three granules of cocaine and a sachet of crystal methamphetamine. In a separate operation in Chongwe, 22-year-old Philip Lubelenge was arrested for allegedly trafficking 101 sachets of high-grade cannabis. The DEC also recovered items suspected to be used in the consumption of cocaine and crystal methamphetamine, as investigations continue into his alleged drug supply network.

The Commission says it remains committed to dismantling illicit drug supply chains by targeting individuals involved at every level of trafficking through intensified intelligence-led operations and collaboration with other law enforcement agencies. The DEC has urged members of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activities to help combat drug trafficking and protect communities across the country. The arrests and seizures form part of the Commission's broader efforts to address the threat posed by illicit drugs to public safety and well-being.