Provincial criminal-investigation police in Namibe detained 123 people — 117 men and six women aged 14 to 35 — as alleged traffickers, sellers and consumers in 91 cleared drug cases.[1] The six women were already facing justice for involvement with light and heavy drugs in the province.[1] Police sent 80 of the cases to the Public Prosecution Service for further judicial proceedings.[1] During a work visit on 25 June, Deputy Attorney General Pascoal António Joaquim spoke with women held in the Namibe comarca, the district jail.[1] He said he had seen three or four women held there because they had sold liamba, the local name for cannabis, which he described as a prohibited narcotic and not tobacco.[1]
As a result of the detentions, police reported seizing 257 kilograms of liamba, along with 206 grams of crack, 330,000 kwanzas and 5,100 U.S. dollars said to come from sales of heavy and light drugs.[1] On the previous Sunday, officers had destroyed 257 kilograms of liamba and 206 grams of crack derived from cocaine.[1] The seizure and destruction were presented during commemorations of the International Day Against Drug Abuse, when police also displayed cash described as proceeds of illicit drug buying and selling.[1]
The results cover the work of the DPIC-Namibe, the Provincial Directorate of Criminal Investigation, from July 2010 to June 2011, with 48 more cases than the previous period.[1] The destruction took place at the directorate’s premises in Namibe in the presence of its deputy director, Superintendent Eduardo Luís, and other provincial police officers.[1] Provincial anti-drug chief Inspector-Chief João Domingos Ana said the fight against drugs must be a joint task for churches, civil society, traditional authorities and families.[1]
