Drug barons must be exposed to face justice

Drug trafficking and consumption is an organized crime sustained by a well-connected syndicate clinging to the prohibited business for personal gain at the expense of the future of the youth.

It is known that some adults take cocaine and heroin, but the effects may not be as devastating as for the boys and girls whose lives get shuttered through drug addiction.

Perhaps the most amazing thing, as far as the war against illicit drugs is concerned, is the fact that the kingpins who should have been in prison by now are free to continue putting the youth in bondage for the business they do over and over.

Medical doctors have clearly listed the side-effects of drug addiction. These include heart complications, breathing problems, poor memory and therefore learning difficulty, brain damage and nervous malfunction.

The fact that the targeted group are the youth, inefficiency in fighting drug abuse paves the way for more members to join the bandwagon.

The contradictory statement by the previous administration claiming to have in possession a list of drug kingpins begs more questions than answers.

First of all the inquisitive mind would question the rationale in concealing the identity of the suspects. Secondly, one would ask why appropriate measures were not taken by law-enforcers the way they pounced on panya road boys? The silence maintained was ominous and left a lot to be desired.

Usually a criminal suspect is properly dealt with through serious interrogation. But seeing thousands of drug addicts in the streets with the government spending millions on rehab services is disheartening because the best action would have been bring all suspects to justice.

The recent inquiry by members of the Parliamentary Committee on HIV/AIDS and Narcotics seeking clarification from law enforcers about action taken to restrain operations of drug barons deserves commendations.

Undoubtedly the inquisition is indicative of the commitment by the legislators to rid this nation of the menace.

Many scholars claim that nearly all crime is caused by economic conditions, or in other words poverty is practically the whole cause of crime.

Statistics have been gathered on this subject, which seem to show conclusively that property crimes are largely the result of the unequal distribution of wealth.

But crime of any scale cannot be safely ascribed to a single cause. Life is too complex and therefore requires equally a complex approach to stop drug business. Let the government not spare the kingpins.