Sh13b cocaine stolen from Police stores

Senior Police officers and their junior detectives are embroiled in a dispute over sh13b seized cocaine stolen over a one-year period.

The racket involves the aviation Police, counterterrorism and intelligence according to sources.

A Police report under Entebbe Crime Registration Book (CRB) 197/ 2014 indicates that 80kg of seized cocaine was reportedly stolen from the aviation Police (AVIPOL) stores in Entebbe last year.

A kilograme of cocaine has a street value of $50,000 (about sh167m). Sources also revealed that the racket has been in place for years and that instead of destroying the seized cocaine, heroin and other drugs; large quantities have found their way into the market.

Entebbe is one of the airports in Africa used as a transit route for smuggled drugs. The cocaine had been impounded from various dealers between 2012 and 2014.

However, accusations and counter accusations of dishonesty and stifling of investigations have been made by the parties involved in fighting drug smuggling. This has culminated into suspected victimisation and transfer of junior officers.

The racket came to light after detectives took 17 separate samples from the stores for testing at the Government Analytical Laboratory (GAL) last year. Sources said the results showed wheat and cassava flour and other substances were substituted for cocaine.

David Mutende, a GAL expert, is one of the offi cers named in the Police case. Mutende, however, could not be reached for a comment.

A source said the motive was to verify whether the drugs were missing from the stores or not after information leaked that the impounded cocaine was being stolen, sold and replaced with other substances.

The investigations had earlier been sanctioned by Police Chief, Gen. Kale Kayihura after intelligence reports leaked.

Sources told Saturday Vision that early last year, a team of detectives sanctioned to investigate the matter were accompanied by the anti-narcotics department boss, James Kyomukama and were allegedly denied entry into the two stores.

Kyomukama told Saturday Vision it was an old case, which was reported before he took charge at the narcotics department.

"Contact the commandant AVIPOL who is the custodian of the exhibits," he said. When contacted, Caleb Mwesigye, the AVIPOL commandant, said all drugs that have since been seized are still in stores at the airport. "I will not comment further than that."

2014 Police crime report

Twenty-two cases of drug trafficking were reported and investigated, of these 15 convictions were secured, three cases were dismissed, one case is pending in court and three cases were still under inquiry.

Twenty suspects were arrested, of whom five were Ugandans, three Guyanese, two Nigerians, two Sierra Leoneans, two Liberians, two Egyptians, one Ghanaian, one Guinean, one Burundian and one Cote d' Ivorian.

Analysis indicates that abuse of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is on the increase and Uganda has continued to be used as a conduit country for drugs originating from Latin America and destined for Europe and Eastern and South Asian countries.

 

Trend at Entebbe since June 2009

A Police report reveals that the trend of drug trafficking has changed from the old methods of concealment to sophisticated ones.

"The smugglers or couriers use all possible routes and means of transport to smuggle narcotic drugs," says the report.

On June 25, 2009, Charles Omollo, a Ugandan was arrested on arrival at Entebbe airport and on observation he passed out 99 pellets suspected to be of cocaine.

On June 26, 2009, another Ugandan John Awusa was arrested and on observation, he passed out 109 pellets suspected to be of cocaine.

Another Ugandan, Joseph Kasanke Kagolo, was on July 3, 2009 intercepted at the departures terminal building at Entebbe airport as he planned to fly to Washington DC. Kagolo was put under observation and he passed out 90 pellets of suspected to be of cocaine.

On March 15, 2010, Keabetswe Mmule Kubyane, a South African, who had flown into the country from Kyrgyz Republic through Turkey, was arrested at Entebbe airport with two bags of suspected heroine and another four packages were recovered from the car belonging to his accomplices.

Diane Hawa, a Rwandan national, was on April 11, 2010 intercepted at Entebbe as she tried to enter the country from Nairobi. Hawa had seven bottles labeled Aumentin intravenous batch no. 415623, each containing white powder, and about 1.5kg of white powder suspected to be drugs.

On interrogation, Hawa admitted that she was trafficking drugs, but declined to reveal the recipient.

On May 28, 2010, three men; a 50-year-old German national Martin Hohmann, a 28-year-old Kenyan Tom Welton Nasio Okila and a Nigerian, Gilbert Chidi Eze, 47, were arrested at Entebbe airport with cocaine worth over sh250m.

In 2013, Interpol arrested a Nigerian drug baron identified as Peter Ize in Uganda and he was deported after he was found with drugs.

UGANDA'S CASE

Although Uganda is being used as a transit country for hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, the use and abuse of these drugs is more prevalent in urban areas and higher institutions of learning. These are being used by mainly youth and some business communities according to investigations.

Many of the dealers, Police say, take advantage of the weak penalties in the National Drug Policy and Authority Act, 2006 to carry out their trade in the country.

"The law provides for a fine of sh1m or a custodial sentence not more than two years, but in Uganda many of them get away with a fine. There is need for Parliament to look into this," a source stated.

Police is closely monitoring other slums infested by the drug dealers, like Kamwokya, Bakuli-Mengo, Naboa road (Mbale), Lubasi Street (Jinja) and most upscale areas in Kampala.

(Adopted from Saturday Vision of January 2, 2016)