How Police bust racket selling drugs to Kampala students in cookies, pancakes

In 2019, the then Police Director of Criminal Investigations, AIGP Grace Akullo revealed that a new way used by drug cartels to supply narcotic drugs to students in schools was through preparing it as an ingredient in cookies , biscuits and other eatables which are later sold to them.

Most of the perpetrators of the drugs now prepare cookies spiced with narcotic drugs and sell to our children in schools and institutions of higher learning, which makes it hard for detectives to notice the distribution,”Akullo said during a function to destroy 105.07kg of narcotic drugs valued that had been seized at Entebbe International Airport according to a Daily Monitor report.

Three years later last week, Police finally bust the racket involved in selling these eatables laced with drugs to schools.

Last week, an unnamed secondary school in Kampala suspended 10 of its female students who had ordered for some of the cookies with drugs.

“These ordered for the drug-laced cookies for consumption during a party that had been organized at school. When consumed, the cookies were to allegedly enable them “go high” and enjoy the party to maximum,”Enanga told journalists on Monday.

Arrest

This website has learnt that after the school found out that the 10 female students had ordered for the drug-laced cookies to enable them “get high” at the party, they were suspended and police notified about the incident.

“After being notified, investigations started, leading to the arrest of the boda boda rider who was carrying out the delivery of the cookies and other snacks to the school. He later led us to the arrest of other suspects in the racket,”Enanga told this website.

According to Enanga, the swoop led to the arrest of Racheal Masanga, Suleiman Kasozi , Joshua Ayo and Jovia Mbabazi were  the people behind the drug-laced snack supplies.

These would deliver them to areas within Kira division, Bugoloobi, Kulambiro and other areas where there are secondary schools in Kampala.

Wheat flour, baking flour involved

According to the police spokesperson, further investigations led them to find out that the narcotic drugs especially marijuana are laced in baking powder and  baking power which are ingredients  used to make the cookies, biscuits, daddies and pancakes which are later sold to students in schools.

He said the drugs are also sold in bottles for Akabanga, a hot chilli oil from Rwanda that is later sold to unsuspecting students.

“When you look at packages and labels, they are similar to other snack items in supermarkets and shops. It makes it difficult for some of the young teenagers in school to tell the different until when they eat the snacks,” Enanga said.

“Some of the drugs are put in tins and sold as spices that are put on tea and in food among other eatables."

He noted that this poses a danger because the rackets targets the group of teenagers between the ages of 13 and 20 and are in high school.

“Some of these get problems when they ingest these products. Some vomit, others get rapid heartbeats, stomach pains and distorted vision among other weird feelings.”

The police spokesperson however revealed that some of the students, especially those in boarding sections of schools deliberately take the drug laced snacks in a bid to “get high”.

According to Enanga, after taking the drug laced snacks, the students develop unusual behaviour including uncontrolled laughing after getting “high”.

He warned students that they should be cautious of the snacks they eat from friends at break time and lunch since these might have drugs laced in them.

“We urge school administrators, parents and guardians to stay vigilant because this is an indirect way of consuming drugs and once our young children are recruited into this, it can be a very big problem for the nation.”

“Where parents notice strange behaviour in the students, they need to alert our police and then we take interest in the matter.”

Enanga said the four suspect face charges related to drug trafficking and possession of narcotic drugs.

The law

The Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act 2015 states that a person, who traffics in a narcotic drug of psychotropic substance, commits an offence and is liable in respect of the narcotic drugs or psychotropic substance to a fine not less than five hundred currency points or three times the market value of the narcotic drug or psychotropic substance, whichever is greater, and in addition, to imprisonment for life.

One currency point is equivalent to shs20,000.

The five hundred currency points are equal to shs10 million.