COMBATING CRIME: Matambo

Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Kenneth Matambo says his ministry is aware of the possibility of importation of illegal drugs into the country.

Matambo says in order to curb the problem, the Botswana Unified Revenue Service (BURS) was conducting regular searches on consignments that enter Botswana with a view, amongst others, to detect illegal drugs. He said BURS in collaboration with Botswana Defence Force and the police undertake regular border patrols to secure the country’s borders against smuggling of illicit goods, including illegal drugs into Botswana.

“On February 7^th, 2012, I launched the use of containers X-ray scanners at the Tlokweng border gate and the Gaborone Container Depot. One of the reasons for procuring the container scanners was to combat smuggling of habit forming drugs into Botswana. BURS will continue to explore other measures that could be employed to detect illicit drugs, including sniffer dogs,” he said.

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