2013-08-11   Letter from Tanzanian inmate in a Hong Kong prison     Tanzania File

Anti-narcotic war: Are Politicians Real?

(Comments welcome here)

Inmate recommends searching for "Hong Kong" and "Barua" at www.mwananchi.co.tz 
and also the many articles re drugs/Hong Kong/drug mules at www.thecitizen.co.tz 

----------------------------------

I am a Tanzanian male, aged 42, currently serving a 22 year sentence in a Hong Kong prison for drug trafficking. I write on behalf of all the Tanzanian prisoners in Hong Kong (we number more than 200)

I saw The Africa Review article Tanzania on the spot over anti-narcotic war - the statement on war against the illicit drug trade by the head of the Directorate of Communications at State House, Mr Salva Rweyemamu, one of the officials in particular who really needs to to a bit of research before he comments

In his statement he said that "the government was winning the battle over drugs", but he failed to elaborate his statement, and I have to say that Mr Rweyemamu has no clue of what he's telling the nation and/or he's a brand-liar who's trying to cover up the whole truth about the drug business in Tanzania and the heavyweights in the trade (who are also among his paymasters) and their associates

The worst is that the article also mentioned that  President Jakaya Mfaume Mrisho Kikwete is one of the veteran advocates in the war against narcotics. I am interested by the sub-heading "Big traffickers" and the fair question is: who are the big traffickers? The article has missed the point and failed to explain who are the big traffickers, and apparently Mr President is holding the names of those alleged as big traffickers, instead of exposing them to the nation as he vowed during the time of his campaign in 2005

I feel the need to write in and express my disgust at the way the government has failed in the war against drugs. And the most disgusting fact about the government is the fact that they're only putting their muscles on "small fish" who most of the time are used as scapegoats for the drug barons

Tanzania Intelligence Services, Tanzania Revenue Authority, Anti-Narcotic Bureau and Drug Control Commission - they've all failed to eliminate the endemic illicit trade. The police force almost 75% are a bunch of crooks, corrupted as hell. They're all bent, they're at the bottom of the drug trade chain, while there's more control up top

I reckon that before the Presidential and legislators election in 2005, nobody used to notice Ridhiwani Mrisho Kikwete, the president's eldest son, a quiet but flushy law graduate. When his father suddenly got into power, Ridhiwani exploited the opening in the power structure to build his own empire and create his own version of the Tanzania Dream

Through ingenuity Ridhiwani came to rule his city's drug trade and became one of the country's drug barons in a very short period of time. In the drug underworld, Ridhiwani became popular more than his father in the State House, a new power player who came to dominate the scene, courtesy of the Pakistan drug cartels who have forged a link with the young Kikwete  - believed to be through one of his associates who had a link with other drug lords in Tanzania

Heroin is shipped by vessels from Pakistan to the Tanzania coast strip regions such as Bagamoyo, Mtwara, Pemba and Dar-es-Salaam, and once the vessels approach the Tanzania coast, the drug barons arrange local fishing boats to pick up the sacks of drugs from the vessels outside Tanzania territorial waters, and then the local fishing boats bring the drugs to shore

This is the normal trend of their operations and I would be shocked if Tanzania Security Agencies, Drug Control Commission and Coast Guard Force are not aware of this fact. I'll just call it incompetence

Ridhiwani outplays most of the leading drug syndicates and has become not only one of the country's mainline corrupters, but part of its circle of civic superstars

I'm one of many prisoners here in Hong Kong who worked with Ridhiwani. I'm not telling stories. I know of about 10 other inmates who have mentioned they had a link with Ridhiwani

His method of action is very simple. He doesn't touch the drugs like most drug barons. He directs the whole operation. He's a senior mastermind. He uses his father's influence to orchestrate, plan and direct the operations

I believe that one among the 100 people on the list of big time drug barons submitted to the president is his own son, and that's why he's still hesitating to tell the nation that one of his own sons is a drug baron

Mr Rweyemamu, it's an established fact that the government has tried to win the war over small-time drug dealers - couriers - but do you think by putting mules behind bars things will change? Do you think by that failed policy your government is going to stop the drug trade?

Nothing is going to change, except maybe for the worse. The government needs to implement a radical reform in their policies on drug trafficking and start acting seriously.

Currently there's more than 200 Tanzania prisoners (men and women) serving long custodial sentences (ranging from 23 years to life imprisonment) here in Hong Kong, and the figure keeps increasing week by week. About 67 people were arrested between May and July this year (in Hong Kong)....98% of the couriers flew directly from Tanzania to HK, and for most of them their final destination was China where drug trafficking is punishable by death

In China's two special administrative regions - Hong Kong and Macau - drug offences are punishable to by long custodial sentences - 23 years to life imprisonment

This letter should be a wake-up call for anybody who might be approached by drug dealers trying to recruit him/her to smuggle drugs to China ....also for those who are still doing it...you'd better stop immediately or you will have to endure a long sentence in HK, or even death ... or hard labour in a prison in China for 20 to 30 years of your life ...if you survive (..it's modern day slavery)

Brethren, nothing is more precious than freedom in this world. You may not understand because you still have it, but bear in mind that it is better to live poor outside with your freedom rather than live rich in jail. Don't let any drug dealer lure you, school you or fool you to think you have a good chance of getting into Hong Kong undetected. The chances are very slim, even no chance at all. I've heard that HK customs will soon be checking every passenger with a Tanzania passport.

Once you arrive in HK with a Tanzania passport, you'll be under scrutiny as a drug trafficker and you'll be thoroughly checked by x-ray and scanning machines which are the best in the world

Don't bring drugs into HK, Macau or mainland China. The bottom line is don't even think about it

So in conclusion I say the following to the Tanzania government law enforcement agencies - if you really want to dismantle the endemic drug trafficking trade in Tanzania, you have to try to go up the drug supply chain to the "Big Fish", and you have to do this without fear or double standards

To my fellow country men and women I say - stay away from China and its territories. This people don't play no games. When they lay their hand on you, that's the time you'll understand how serious they are about the war against narcotics

TZA prisoner, Hong Kong