A GHANAIAN woman was yesterday arrested in possession of six kilogrammes of heroin worth 270m/- at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam.

The Head of the Anti-Narcotics Drugs Unit, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP), Mr Godfrey Nzowa, told a news conference that Emanuella Adom (51) was arrested when she was about to board Kenya Airways flight to return to Accra, Ghana.

"We arrested her at around 4:00am. The drugs were hidden in her two suitcases," Mr Nzowa said. He said the woman is in police custody pending further investigations and arraignment.

Adom hold passport number G 0084666 and upon conviction may get life imprisonment sentence or a fine that is three times of street value of the seized drugs.

Mr Nzowa said the suspect had been in the country since April 27 and was living at Gates of Paradise Hotel, Mbezi Beach area in Dar es Salaam. He said the woman was on holiday in the country, according to immigration records.

On Saturday, another woman, a Zambian national Mary Mvula (30) purged 49 pellets of heroin worth 32m/- she had carried in her stomach. The woman was arrested on May 2, at JNIA after police suspected her of carrying drugs since she stayed for three days without going to the toilet.

Meanwhile, Anne Robi reports that police in Dar es Salaam have arrested 31 people for allegedly being in possession of bhang and illicit liquor known as 'gongo.'

The suspects were arrested during a swoop over the weekend. Police said 17 suspects were arrested in Kigogo, seven in Kawe, three in Bunju and the rest at Kilimahewa area in Temeke District.

Addressing a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the Kinondoni Regional Police Commander (RPC), Mr Faustine Shilongile, said that suspects from Kinondoni were arrested in unlawful possession of 60 pellets of bhang and 24 litres of 'gongo.'

He named some of the suspects as Rhoda Shekimweli (28), Semeni Mpinde (32), Shukuru Jumanne (19), Shaban Msuya (22), Asha Juma (23), Mohammed Ally (40) and Moses Mhina (20).

The rest are Mohammed Habibu (27), Ally Yusuf (30), Abubakar Idrissa (30), Juma Abeid (28) and Michael Roma (28).

Meanwhile, the Temeke Regional Police Commander (RPC), Mr David Misime named those arrested in Temeke district as Abduli Nassor (20), Haji Abdallah (20), Hassan Said (18) and Salehe Mohammed (31).

Mr Misime said that the suspects were arrested at Tandika area in Temeke District in a swoop over the weekend.