Street vendors selling drugs

DIRANG LEKUNTWANE
Correspondent | Monday October 25, 2010 00:00

It does not help that some street vendors have now resorted to selling drugs such as marijuana albeit on the pretext that their commodities are just sweets and units.

Sure, if you do visit the market place or bus ranks you will witness them selling sweets as well as units but apparently they have found a more lucrative business in the private, the sale of drugs.

With the familiar Rastafarian greeting of a clenched fist and other sign languages and gestures of the famous drug, you get a ready-made joint for P5, a ball (roped in a shiny paper - the size of a big marble) for P7 to P10 depending on the rate. Or else with choice, you get a small plastic (mainly used in banks to keep different denominations of coins), street-code named 'banky' for P40 to P120 depending on the size and quality of the drug.

Those who purchase the expensive 'banky' are the ones who do not want regular contact with sellers lest they fall into the police net.

The stalls with Rastafarian merchandise are some of the secret sellers in the market place. Identifying both sellers and consumers alike is the use of various codes in greetings and sign language.

A new phenomenon has developed in our society as illegal drugs find their way to other markets besides shebeens and spots where consumers usually buy them.

This is mainly because the drug dealers are anxious about the constant movements of the police and criminal detectives in these areas.

They would much rather follow the addicts to the market places where they are easily reached. In such areas amidst the noise and bustle of people rushing to different places, transactions are done more easily and safely.

At Gaborone's bus rank as well as the main mall, illegal drugs are secretively sold to desperate customers. Some of these street vendors stage their tables displayed with sweets by the main entrances of highly rated restaurants, bars and cafes. In towns and villages, they are stealthily sold at bus and taxi ranks.

With stiffer penalties on the drink-driving practice, most drivers and other alcohol drinkers are turning into drug addicts as they adapt and divert to the consumption of drugs especially the famous marijuana.

They believe that this way is better as the police do not catch on so easily.