ARUSHA, Tanzania, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania's Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) said Thursday they had seized 428 bags of marijuana on the slopes of Mount Meru.
Fredrick Kibute, a senior official of DCEA, described the consignment as one of the largest marijuana seizures in northern Tanzania this year.
He said that the 428 bags of marijuana was impounded in Engalaoni village in Arumeru District early Thursday.
"Our officials camped in the village for almost one week to unveil the haul of marijuana. But we managed to seize all the bags on Thursday morning when we carried out a house-to- house inspection," the official said.
He, however, said no one was found in those houses.
"The area where the bags were hidden has no roads, making it hard to be accessed by government officials and security forces ... there is no vehicle getting into the area. This is what encourages people to continue growing the illegal crop."
Kabute called upon Tanzanians particularly those living on the slopes of Mount Meru to stop from growing cannabis, which is prohibited in the East African nation.
Tanzania is one of the largest marijuana producers in Africa.
