Editorial Comment: Drug dealers must be kept on their toes

THE war against drug and substance abuse in Zimbabwe is being waged with a great deal of coordination within the ministerial taskforce dealing with prevention, the social welfare side of rehabilitating drug abusers and the interdiction of supplies led by the police, with backing from everyone else.

This interdiction operation has seen over little more than a year the building up of success as operational experience is gained, more people are prepared to come forward and give details of what is happening in their communities, intelligence networks provide more information and modern technology is employed.

The successes have seen, between February last year and February this year, the seizure of illicit drugs worth almost ZiG3,5 billion, a huge loss to the suppliers, and the arrest of 15 865 including 3 738 suppliers. So far 326 bases, generally the selling and distribution points, have been destroyed or shut down.

The drugs seized, and eventually destroyed after they are no longer needed in a court case, and the shutting down of so many distribution and sales points, with the arrest of the suppliers, must have made a difference, although it appears that there is still much to do as drugs are still available, just harder to find.

The police have employed multiple strategies, including roadblocks, drone surveillance, undercover operations and enhanced surveillance along borders.

Reports suggest that roadblocks are now more successful and focussed than just random checks, although those are useful, with intelligence gathering often meaning the larger hauls can be targeted in advance and a suitable roadblock set up.

Border patrols have been strengthened with drone surveillance, which is also useful to disrupt other smuggling, allowing a lot more border to be kept under surveillance than is possible with foot and vehicle patrols. Operationally security manpower can then be deployed to intercept what has been seen from the sky, without being dissipated by random patrols.

A major factor in the battle against dealers and suppliers has been the growing willingness of people to come forward and talk to the police.

There are still those who shrug their shoulders because they do not want to be involved.

But the active success means that many who did not bother in the past because they thought no one would do anything are now more ready to come forward.

This often involves, especially in tighter communities, people willing to inform on their neighbours, friends and even family members, so it is not easy. The growing realisation of just how damaging drug abuse can be has overcome some of the reluctance, but it still requires in many cases some courage to start caring and doing something. The police are right to praise those now willing to help.

While users can often be caught in random checks, and drugs are often found when users commit some other offence, the round-up of dealers requires in many cases the police knowing who the dealer is, and certainly where the dealer is operating. Since Zimbabwean police are part of communities, they obviously pick up some of this information themselves and the undercover work is obviously bringing its own successes.

But in many cases the investigation, raid and arrests must be triggered by people coming forward and telling police they were offered drugs at such and such a place.

We still believe that for pure users, a major factor in mitigation can be a willingness to spill the beans on where they bought their personal supplies and the person who sold them.

Fines are rising as we move from admission-of-guilt deposit fines in police stations to the courts, and this makes mitigation more important as well as creating records for repeat offenders, who might well be facing a jail sentence for repeated abuse.

The coordinated response to the drug menace should also strengthen the enforcement side, as agencies cooperate actively, as well as the more general strategies to dry up demand as well as dry up supply.

Interdicting supplies and arresting dealers will never stop all drug smuggling and dealing, but it will drive up the cost of illegal drugs as scarcities arise, and that in itself will reduce use, especially among first time experimenters and others just wanting a cheap escape from reality.

That in turn allows more resources to be placed on helping long-term addicts and going after the kingpins in the drug trade.

We also have to remember that the efforts have to be continuous and long term. If we relax because we have been successful, we will quickly be overrun as newcomers enter the markets. So a year of victories simply shows what we can do, and must do. It will not end the menace.