The revelation that drug peddlers in Lautoka are selling marijuana and other drugs within the Lautoka market vicinity is a concern.
This was recently highlighted by the Lautoka Market Vendors Association with hopes the issue would be looked into with some urgency.
President Filomena O’Neill said since the issue was brought to light last year, juice sellers had put an end to such illegal dealings.
She claimed there were people “from outside who are making use of the juice selling space and the sitting area near the market to sell drugs”.
“It is a concern for vendors because it does not paint a good image, especially when it is happening right beside the market.
“We have informed the police and we are working closely with them.” Young people, she said, were also involved in such dealings.
The Lautoka City Council, she said, was asked to install lights and closed-circuit television cameras around the area. Police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro said they were working closely with stakeholders to deal with the issue. She said this included market vendors, PSV drivers and business houses. Police, she said, were conducting visitations and awareness on illegal activities.
“We are constantly going through market areas, bus stand, juice stand and mini bus stand conducting our search on people acting suspiciously,” Ms Naisoro said. “We have arrested a number of people found in possession of illicit drugs and they have been produced in court.”
This is a concern. Such activity cannot be allowed to happen there. We realise the importance of policing and the need for vigilance.
People who try to beat the system, and do illegal work must be pulled out and dealt with urgently. They have no right to be doing their business in an environment that attracts people from all walks of life, providing market vendors an avenue to earn a living. These drug dealers are damaging the image of the market place, and creating uncertainty and maybe fear to some extent. On Thursday, we ran a story about market places becoming a hotspot for the sale of marijuana.
Minister for Local Government Premila Kumar said some marketplaces had become problematic as they had been turned into lucrative selling grounds for drug peddlers. Nadi Vendors Association president Lia Lawanimate said they were worried about the implications of having drug peddlers within their ranks.
We agree with what she said, that markets shouldn’t be a place where people sell drugs.
Let’s make our markets free of drugs. Let’s identify the dealers and keep them out of our marketplaces.
