17th August 2013
However, the minister offered some insight into how the 12okg sedatives, all valued at Sh8.2 billion, were smuggled into smuggled at the Julius Nyerere international airport.
The drugs were seized at Oliver Tambo international airport, Johannesburg, mid July, this year, raising grave concern over the security situation at Dar’s major airport.
On Friday, sections of the media (not the Guardian) reported that Dr Mwakyembe would name the narcotic drug kingpins.
Instead, Dr Mwakyembe named six workers at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) who facilitated the passage of 120kg of narcotics to South Africa last month, involving two Tanzanian ladies, who were earlier arrested at the Oliver Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The drugs -- Crystal Methamphetamine or ‘Tik’ as commonly known -- had a street value of Sh8.2bn/-.
However, the press release handed out to the journalists had two conflicting figures – since there was a paragraph stating that the seized narcotics in South Africa weighed 180kg – while original reports from Johannesburg had indicate that the seized cargo amounted to only 150kg.
Mwakyembe was addressing a news conference in Dar es Salaam.
The minister was earlier quoted as saying that he was ready to give names of the narcotics kingpins in an attempt to restore the country’s image following recent arrests of Tanzanians who had used JNIA as their exit point in their bid to make billions in the secretive narcotic drugs global market.
According to Mwakyembe, the six airport employees included four security officers who are under the Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA), one police officer, under the ministry of home affairs and a porter, whose employer was not named. He said he had ordered for an immediate dismissal before they were brought before the court.
He identified the four security officers as Yusuph Daniel Issa, Jackson Manyonyi Mohamed Kalungwa and Juliana Thadei, the latter being the supervisor of the security section at the Airport on the very day.
The referred police officer is Corporal Ernest and the porter is Zahoro Mohamed Seleiman.
The ministry has also ordered the police to use the International Police (Interpol) network to arrest one suspect, Nassoro Said Mangunga, holder of Tanzania passport AB426496 who accompanied the two ladies arrested in Johannesburg upon arrival on a South African Airways flight.
The two girls were identified as Agnes Gerald Deal (Alias Masogange) holder of passport AB 440180 and Merisa Edward, holder of passport AB440565 all Tanzanian.
Narrating how the mules were used to smuggle such huge amounts of narcotic drugs at JN airport, Dr Mwakyembe said the suspects were closely assisted by airport security officials, police and a porter.
But one thing the conspiracy failed to outsmart was the Closed Circuit Camera Television (CCTV) installed at the country’s premier airport, which recorded the whole plan to smuggle 120kg of narcotic drugs.
In a 65-minute footage, the conspirators conspired to abet the two mules to smuggle the multi-billion shilling drugs on July 5, this year.
The entire racket took place between 03:25am to 04:30am hours before the suspects left JN airport aboard South African Airways, SAA 188.
“At 03:28am the CCTV cameras show one person tasked as a porter by the name of Zahoro Mohamed Seleman going around at the departure area posing as waiting for someone. The cameras also captured one airport worker, Yusufu Daniel Issa, for sometime going out of the passenger lounge and entering while communicating on the phone, which is prohibited for workers at the passenger inspection area,” noted Mwakyembe.
The minister added that at the same time the CCTV cameras show the police officer, Corporal Ernest, hanging around the passport control section as if he was waiting for something.
Mwakyembe explains: “At last, at 04:15 hours the cameras reveal two young females and a young males carrying a baggage of nine similar bags … the cameras further show Corporal Ernest busy assisting other travelling passengers on placing their baggage on the screening machine, which according to procedure is not his duty. Afterwards, the porter … Zahoro Mohamed Seleman … is seen assisting the would-be suspects to place the baggage on the screening machines and carrying the bags for rapping and then to the South African Airways Counter.”
The minister also stated that Yusufu Daniel Issa who was seen earlier busy communicating on phone replaced his fellow employee, Jackson Manyonyi, as a screener at the baggage screening machine, just few minutes before the nine bags were places there though he was had not registered on the screener’s logbook.
“At 0416 he (Issa) started screening the nine bags and he was through at 04:22 hours. He spent six minutes and then moved from the seat for Manyonyi to carry on. He had a word with Corporal Ernest and then he whispered to Manyonyi. Thereafter he went to the domestic departing passengers section while communicating on phone. All these activities went on the eyes of the head of the inspection section, Juliana Thadei who could not be alerted.
According to Mwakyembe, at the South African Airways counter three 20kg bags each were cleared but the passengers were supposed to pay $600 for extra six bags whereby every extra kilogramme costs $5. But, the suspects only paid $94 according to the available receipt.
The third suspect who is still at large and who acted handler for the two mules, Nassoro Said Mangunga, didn’t have a valid ticket to travel on that day.
But, the handler changed his mind and decided to travel that day whereby he paid $60 as rebooking fee to validate his ticket.
But, according the Minister, though Mangunga didn’t have a valid ticket, still he was allowed to proceed to the check-in counter, which is a restricted zone.
According to airport procedures, after all baggage are checked-in, the special trained dogs sniffed through all the luggage before they were loaded in the plane.
But on that day, the dogs arrived late, said Dr Mwakyembe.
Mwakyembe said for three passengers being in possession of 9 similar bags should have alerted the security officers at the airport and queries where were they. He therefore has directed the Tanzania Intelligence and Security Services (TISS) to investigate how their officers responsible for sniffers were late.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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