Schools: Lucrative hideout for drug dealers

05 Feb, 2023 - 00:02 0 Views
Schools: Lucrative hideout for drug dealers

The Sunday Mail

Veronica Gwaze

IT is never a normal parent’s wish to raise a drug addict or dealer.

Schools and other institutions such as churches are considered some of the best places where children should be taught about the dangers of drug and substance abuse.

This could explain why most parents aspire to enrol their children at learning institutions that have a reputation for enforcing discipline.

However, some schools are now compromised. Reports indicate that several learners are now involved in drug and substance abuse. It gets worse!

Apart from being users, some have been turned into mules by drug peddlers.

Amid all this, police have intensified the fight against drugs, which has resulted in many arrests and havens being destroyed.

The dealers’ usual operating environment has become risky and they have devised other ways of keeping their illegal business afloat while avoiding easy detection.

Also, there seems to be a belief among the dealers that children will “easily” get off the hook should they be arrested.

They say it is highly unlikely for the authorities to go and search for drugs in schools or colleges, or even conduct stop and search operations on learners. 

Recruiting 

Investigations by this publication reveal that drug dealers are first turning selected learners into addicts before recruiting them as agents for a fee or free supply of the drugs.

The case of eight Dominican Convent High School learners who were expelled after being caught using illicit drugs during a school trip was just a tip of the iceberg.

Several learners have been expelled from school for drug-related issues. The cases rarely make it to the public domain.

“I was introduced to drugs by a prominent supplier in Mbare, who was a friend of a colleague of mine. He would periodically give my friend and I free doses until I got hooked. I reached a point where it became difficult for me to attend class or do anything without first taking drugs,” confessed one learner who only identified himself as Shelaz.

The lad said he was currently in Form Four and enrolled at one of the schools in Sunningdale, Harare.

“I do not have a steady source of income, so it is often difficult for me to buy the drugs. However, the supplier is at times kind enough to give me small quantities of the stuff to sell, which I then distribute to my colleagues and get paid afterwards. In some instances, I get money but in other cases, I simply opt for drugs.”

The financial rewards and drug offers are often so tempting that most children fall prey to these criminal setups.

The most commonly abused drugs include cannabis (marijuana or mbanje); crystal meth, commonly known as dombo or guka; Broncleer and cocaine.

Prescription drugs, alcoholic sweets/gummies (sold at prices ranging between US$3 and US$6 per packet) and weed cakes have also become a hit in schools.

Due to the large number of learners they have, educational institutions are proving to be lucrative marketplaces for the dealers.

Illicit drugs are said to be highly priced in private schools, where the learners have easy access to large sums of money or expensive gadgets for barter when they fail to pay cash.

This trend is also said to be prevailing in institutions of higher learning.

According to police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, hundreds of culprits have so far been nabbed in the war against drugs.

“We are still fighting drug abuse, recording arrests almost daily, but we also urge the community to work with us in identifying these culprits because they know them,” he said.

A learner smokes an unidentified recreational drug before entering the school premises

Crisis 

“School heads are required to report any criminal offences to @PoliceZimbabwe . . . The @ProvinceHarare is facing the largest drugs crisis we have ever witnessed. Our schools are being targeted by drug lords, targeting our bright young girls and boys,” reads part of Harare Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Mr Tafadzwa Muguti’s recent tweets.

Learners who witness drug or alcohol abuse at school should report the cases to the institutions’ authorities or police to the make the places safe.

Inquiries conducted by the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare confirmed the drug crisis.

“This (school) is a ready market, which pushes high volumes for dealers. So, they identify potential peddlers and give them the stuff in exchange for either payment or a free stash. The Dominican Convent case opened a huge can of worms; it is shocking and worrying,” said Harare provincial social development officer Mrs Susan Ngani.

She added that through investigations, they had discovered that some foodstuff and toiletries are also being abused to ensure they get high.

“It is shocking! We discovered that some learners are using cereal and soap (brand names withheld) to get high,” revealed Mrs Ngani.

Some rogue school authorities and church leaders have also been identified as drug users and dealers.

“Following a tip-off, we ambushed an all-night prayer in Chitungwiza, where the church leader and some congregants were found in possession of different types of recreational drugs they get from known drug dealers. 

“We also discovered that the drug suppliers are using some people with disability in pushing their products.”

The ministry is set to present its findings in Parliament, where stakeholders and legislators are expected to discuss the subject and come up with lasting solutions.

Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education director of communication and advocacy Mr Taungana Ndoro urged school authorities and parents to be vigilant.

“They are the ones who spend most of the time with these children. Therefore, we cannot win this war without them. We are currently decisively handling some of the cases but revelations are that there is a bigger problem that we should look into. We are already working round the clock to address the problems.

“Without making reference to the Dominican Convent case, we are saying rehabilitation is key and after that, we ensure that those of school-going ages are readmitted to class,” said Mr Ndoro.

Regional psychosocial initiative clinical psychologist Comfort Shava attributes cases of drug abuse to poor parenting systems.

“Most parents now practise distant parenting due to various commitments, which creates problems. Likewise, some of these children are from affluent families, whereby parents will be sending money for their upkeep and they use it on drugs, while others come from dysfunctional or blended setups,” he said.

Shava’s youngest patient is a 14-year-old girl, a school dropout, who is also into prostitution.

“After my mother’s death, I was taken in by my grandmother but due to economic hardships, I dropped out of school and later found myself hanging out with bad company,” she said.

“My grandmother only found out that I was into drugs when I was already an addict.”

A former teacher at a Bindura private school was last year checked into rehabilitation due to drug and substance abuse.

“At first, it was out of fun until it got out of hand. I also sold drugs and some of my clients were schoolchildren, who later became my distributors, but now I have reformed and I regret my actions,” he said.

Remedy 

The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare last year unveiled a psychosocial centre in Harare.

The centre helps to rehabilitate drug abuse patients and reintegrate them into society.

“We take referral patients who come from medical institutions. They would have gone through testing and detoxification. We, however, have a few cases where we also refer them to medical centres,” said social development officer Sheila Tafirenyika.

“Here we deal with psychological therapy and then identify talent for those 18 years and above. As for minors, we make sure they are readmitted into school. We conduct household assessments and give the necessary assistance, which means, if the background is not safe, we take them to a place of safety.”

Similarly, parents feel there is a need for Government to establish structures that deal with issues of cyberbullying, a factor they believe is driving drug abuse.

“This challenge cuts across ages. In reality, we are facing a giant monster here, hence we need solutions that are all-inclusive. We need solutions that consider cutting the supply of these drugs first. As we cascade down to communities and schools, let us handle it in a manner similar to what we did with Covid-19. Make testing and rehabilitation mandatory for everyone,” urged Chengetai Mangena, a vendor.

Health expert Dr Ebison Chinherende said there should be access to affordable drug testing kits.

A leading laboratory in the capital currently charges between US$40 and US$50 for testing. He said drug abuse has short- and long-term effects that include brain damage, especially on adolescents and teenagers. As such, it should be taken seriously, he added. 

Authorities in England and Wales recently warned that drug dealers were infiltrating higher learning institutions and setting up base there to sell their merchandise, which includes cannabis and cocaine.

As a result, a special police task force was set up to directly work with the institutions in dealing with the menace.

To combat the presence of drugs in schools in the United States, some districts are responding by performing random checks with drug-sniffing dogs.

Twitter: @verongwaze

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