Drama erupted in Garissa town when drug inspectors from the pharmacy and poisons board(PPB)carried out a sting operation in pharmacies and miraa dens to arrest those selling and consuming the illegal drugs.
The inspectors who were led by regional head Omar Ali ambushed areas perceived to be notorious for the drugs and netted diazepam and byline with codeine.
In the process, six pharmacy premises that were found to be selling the drugs without prescription were closed. six consumers and a shopkeeper well known in the town for selling the drugs were arrested.
But no sooner had the arrests been made when word went round the town forcing the dens to close shop quickly and scamper for safety.
Those arrested were already high on the drugs.
Speaking to the press after the crackdown, Omar said that it is a worrying trend to see a high number of young men across the region hooking to prescription drugs without knowing the far-reaching effects such drugs have on their bodies.
“this are only prescription drugs. but when we have people hawking them like ground nuts then as a society we have a reason to be worried about,” he said.
“We are putting on notice anybody involved in this illegal business. We will are determined to rid off this drugs out this drugs that have been badly abused by our youths,” he added.
“These are drugs that are controlled and should be under lock and key in pharmacies. not in miraa den and shops,” said Omar.
Miraa has been blamed on the abuse of the drugs. the abusers resort to using them in order to get ‘high’ and sedition.
Omar who was accompanied by other officials from the board further said contrary to allegations that some drugs were finding their way to the country through the porous border in Somalia, many of them were from Nairobi since they are Kenyan made products.
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