DEC arrested 5, 374 people in 2015

Theresa Katongo

The Drug Enforcement Commission says total of 5,374 people were arrested countrywide for various drug offences in the year 2015.

Commissions Public Relations Officer Theresa Katongo says this represents a 7.9% decline in total arrests from 2014 which recorded a total of 5,832 arrests.

She says of the total number of people arrested for drug offences, 92.6% or 4,976 were male and 7.4% or 398 were female, while 4.9% or 265 were juveniles aged between 11 to 17 years old.

Ms. Katongo adds that from the total arrests recorded in 2015, 3.9% or 210 were foreign nationals of which 3.8% or 202 were males and only 0.1% or 8 were females.

And M.s Katongo says the Commission through its Anti money Laundering Investigations Unit arrested 77 persons in 55 cases involving K15.2 million.

She adds that the grand total of the seized properties and assets in the period under review is K16.1 million.