After several complaints from parents accusing a man, Eria Kula, of supplying toxic drugs to schoolchildren, police have finally apprehended him.
Kula was arrested during an operation near Monalisa Bar in Rubaga over the weekend.
Parents, including Monica Nanziri and Enock Kityo, have identified and confirmed Kula as the man responsible for supplying toxic drugs to both primary and secondary schoolchildren. They expressed relief over his arrest.
“Our children have become unruly, and some have dropped out of school because of this man. He sells the drugs very early in the morning to both primary and secondary students. He also waits for them in the evening when they are going back home. He also supplies these drugs to children in boarding,” said a woman who identified herself as Monica Nanziri.
Luke Owoyesigyire, the deputy Kampala Metropolitan Police spokesperson, confirmed Kula’s arrest, adding that he was taken into custody along with four others.
He noted that police had launched a covert operation in response to a surge in street mugging incidents near Monalisa Bar in Rubaga Division.
“I want to inform you that we have ongoing operations because there has been a sharp increase in crimes in the Central Business District (CBD).
These operations are being conducted by CPS, Old Kampala, Wandegeya, and others. We had an intelligence-led operation at Monalisa Bar, and we arrested five suspects, including Eria Kula,” Owoyesigyire said.
Other suspects arrested alongside Kula include Vincent Kawooya, Wycliff Kitayimbwa, Muhammad Ali, and Abdir Woori.
“The community members accused Eria Kula of being the largest supplier of drugs in the area. He has been selling them to children in primary and secondary schools. These drugs have forced students to drop out of school.
We have a drug abuse problem, and we call upon the collective effort of the community to help weed out these criminals,” Owoyesigyire added.
Kula has denied being a drug supplier, but more parents have come forward to accuse him. He and his four alleged accomplices are currently being held at Old Kampala Police Division.
Police are now gathering evidence from victims of Kula’s drug trade and from those who have been mugged and robbed by his gang in Rubaga Division.
In the last three weeks, police have arrested more than 200 suspected criminals in areas including Nansana, Bwaise, Ndeeba, Katwe, Namirembe Road, Kisenyi, and Kisugu, where both covert and overt operations have been carried out.
Criminals have been targeting parents taking children back to school and students walking alone, robbing them of school fees and other valuables.
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