BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – The Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) has sought the public’s help in the fight against illicit drug dealing and trafficking.
REPS continue to intensify its efforts in the country as it is one of the factors that fuel crime.
In a statement article posted on their social media platforms, mainly Facebook, the organisation pleaded with emaSwati to help in the fight.
“Drug dealing and trafficking has greatly contributed to crime trends in the country which has seen a spike in violent crimes such as murder. As a law enforcement agency in the country that is responsible for maintaining law and order in the Kingdom, the Police Service is also tasked with ensuring that the fight against trafficking and dealing is thorough and a success,” reads part of the article.
Meanwhile, according to available statistics, the most prevalent illicit drug in the country is cannabis as more arrests and seizures are made for the possession of dagga.
Illicit drugs have severe repercussions in our society especially on the youth as they sometimes find themselves in conflict with the law due to consuming drugs or dealing with them hence everyone must join in the fight against drugs.
Worth noting is that despite that more people being arrested and tried in the court of law, dagga dealing continues.
In the past year over 1 700 people were arrested for being found to be in possession, trafficking and dealing in illicit drugs in the country.
These statistics are concerning as those arrested include underage children who have also joined in the trafficking and dealing in drugs. Parents should closely monitor their children so that they can easily spot if there is any suspicious behaviour caused by the usage of drugs or any illicit dealing in drugs.
“One of the other effects that can be attributed to drug abuse is mental illness and this is a serious cause for concern as it fuels many societal ills the country is currently facing Dagga dealing has been noted to have contributed to violent crimes such as murder as the people involved in the trade end up killing each other over several issues,” reads the article further.
The article also mentions that there has also been an increase in illegal firearms in the country, which can be directly linked to dagga dealers as they arm themselves to secure their dagga fields.
Meanwhile the Police service continues to strengthen mechanisms in a bid to clamp down on such criminal activity as its effects extend to other sectors.
Emaswati are expected to collaborate with the Police and work towards fighting the illicit drug trafficking and dealing scourge.
“It is the responsibility of everyone in the community to report crime as the criminals live amongst us. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2023 drug report the continued illicit drug supply and ever-increasing trafficking networks are intensifying intersecting global crises and challenging health services and law enforcement responses,” points out the article.
