Government wants total eradication of marijuana crops

A plan to charter South African aircraft to destroy marijuana plantations in remote parts of Malawi was part of a campaign to rid the country of all illicit drugs, police said on Wednesday.

“It is our desire that this type of operation be continuous to successfully curb the supply, source and the illicit trafficking of Indian hemp (marijuana). Our intention is not to reduce, but to eradicate the cultivation, smoking, supply and transport of Indian hemp,” police spokesman Superintendent Oliver Soko told IRIN on Wednesday. Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa are the region’s biggest marijuana producers.

Soko said Malawi needed spray planes and helicopters because marijuana plantations in remote parts of the country were inaccessible by road. He said Malawi would seek South Africa’s assistance in terms of the Southern African Regional Police Chiefs Co-operation Organisation (SARPCCO). SARPCCO comprises 12 states in the region which have committed themselves to working together to fight crime.

“Malawi is very appreciative of the benefits that emanate from joint operations initiated by SARPCCO. Last year Malawi participated in Operation Motokwane, whose objective was to destroy Indian Hemp (marijuana) fields. Our colleagues from Zimbabwe, Tanzania and a representative of the Southern Africa Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention were also involved in the operation,” Soko said.

He said it had become clear in previous operations that more could be accomplished by spraying the crops, which is why South Africa was asked for assistance. Soko said Malawi had also sent police officers to South Africa last year to receive training as narcotics detectives. The training was funded by the UN Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UNDCCP).
The detectives, he said, had been posted at strategic points across the country. The United Nations had also funded a 4x4 so that police could reach remote areas, where marijuana crops were grown, he added.