Police arrest 6 Ethiopian migrants en route to South Africa

 

 Police in Morogoro Region have arrested six Ethiopian nationals for illegal entry as well as two women suspected to have engaged in illicit drug trafficking.

 

Morogoro Regional Police Commander Ulrich Onesphory Matei said in the first incident, the Ethiopian nationals were arrested at Sangasanga area, a few kilometres from Morogoro Municipality along the Morogoro-Iringa highway.

He said they were found getting into Tanzania without proper travel documents while travelling to South Africa to seek greener pastures.

 

RPC Matei said they were arrested on March 27, this year, at around 6 AM local time in Sangasanga Village of Mlali Division on the outskirts of Morogoro Municipality.

 

He named those who were arrested as Mangisitu Mayachabo (20), Mohamed Kadir (20), Zarion Original (21), Farios Ipamu (21), Saidia Mohamadinum (18) and Ashanaf Ayube (21).

 

“They (migrants) were found deserted on the side of the road along the Morogoro-Iringa route,” he said, urging the public to cooperate with police in unearthing people suspected to be foreigners who get into the country without having proper travel documents.

 

In the second incident, police in the region arrested two women in possession of six buckets of marijuana en-route to Dar es Salaam from Morogoro.

 

RPC Matei identified the suspects as Areshia Shaban (70) of Dar es Salaam’s Vingunguti and Zainab Juma (45) of Dar es Salaam’s Chanika suburb.

 

They were arrested on March 28, this year, at around 1am local time at Itigi-Msamvu area in Morogoro Municipality. The marijuana was found hidden in bags and in different locations.

 

When interrogated, the suspects admitted to have transported the illicit drugs from Iyovu-Mikumi area, near the Morogoro-Iringa boundary.

 

“This illegal business involves both men and women... that’s why the police force is appealing to the public to cooperate with law enforcement to address the illicit drug trafficking in the country,” the regional police chief said.

 

He also warned people engaged in marijuana farming to stop doing so and instead venture into other legal farming activities.