The Uganda-Tanzania-DRC drug route behind the opioid bus seizure
Tanzania’s Drug Control and Enforcement Authority (DCEA) says it has intercepted a major shipment of opioid medicines on a passenger bus operating between Uganda, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In a statement, the DCEA said officers working with officials at the Mutukula Customs Post found the consignment during a routine inspection as the bus entered Tanzania. The vehicle belonged to SR Classic Company, carried Congolese registration 5673AB04, and was travelling on a regional route linking the three countries.
The seizure included 105 boxes of Pethidine containing 1,045 bottles, 31 boxes of Morphine Sulphate with 310 bottles, and 44 boxes of Fentanyl holding 440 bottles, the Authority said. Seven suspects were arrested in connection with the case.
DCEA said the medicines are legally used in hospitals to manage severe pain, but warned that when diverted from authorised channels, they can be abused and may cause addiction.
In Tanzania, opioid medicines are regulated under the Drug Control and Enforcement Act and the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Act, which designates the Medical Stores Department as the only authorised importer and distributor of narcotic medicines.
The Authority said the bus interception came during broader nationwide operations in January and February 2026, which it said resulted in the seizure of 9.93 tonnes of illicit drugs, the confiscation of 1,795 bottles of controlled medicinal narcotics, and the destruction of 87.5 acres of cannabis farms. It said 151 suspects were arrested, while six vehicles and 29 motorcycles were impounded.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
