Changes in drug availability patterns on Tanzanian mainland: The effects of the surge operations deterrent strategy

This study investigated the recent changes in illegal substances availability on the Tanzanian mainland as a result of the government's surge operations as a deterrent approach against illicit drug production, trafficking and usage from 2017 to 2020, as well as the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the drug market. Overall, 247467 seizures of illegal substances weighing 25357.9 kg were tested at The Government Chemist Laboratory Authority (GCLA), an average of 6339.5 kg annually. According to the findings, cannabis was the most frequently encountered substance, accounting for 80.6%, 88.2%, and 83% of all incidents, samples, and weight, respectively. Heroin came in second with 12.6% of the total incidents and 7.4% of the total number of samples, while khat came in second with 15.2% of the weight of the seized illegal substances during the period under study. Apart from a 202 and 4709 decline in heroin incidents and samples, the weight jumped from 15.3 kg in 2017 to 303.5 kg in 2020. Generally, the overall weight of the seizures decreased by 67.3% from 13036.4 kg in 2017–3890.7 kg in 2020. The results were particularly noticeable in the case of cannabis, which plunged by 76.5% from 11771.1 kg in 2017–2727 kg in 2020. Despite the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns and travel limitations, heroin seizures increased by 67.4% in 2020 compared to the preceding three years combined.