Maj. Gen. Daniel Justin, the Spokesperson of South Sudan National Police Service, Tuesday 9th Aug 2022. Credit: Charles Wote/Eye Radio.

Police in Juba seized 4, 970 cartons of hard liquor locally known as “Jena Far” since last year, Juba City Council has said.

The city Mayor Michael Allah-Jabu says the alcohol, some of it produced in the Gumbo area, is putting at risk the health of the citizens, especially young people.

Mayor says this followed a crackdown in several localities within the city.

Asked why the city council didn’t close the factory producing spirit in the Gumbo, he said, the area does not fall within his jurisdiction.

According to Allah-Jabu, the city council has so far confiscated more than 4,000 cartons of the spirit alcohol since last year.

“We have confiscated 1,700 cartons of alcohol, and last year, we confiscated 3,270 cartons of alcohol “Jena Far”, actually we have confiscated many,” said Allah-Jabu.

“On the issue of factories, these factories are in Gumbo and Gumbo is not in our jurisdiction and we cannot close the factories”.

For his part, the South Sudan National Police spokesperson Maj. Gen. Daniel Justin says the law enforcement agency is laying down strategies to arrest abusers of illicit alcohol and drugs in the country.

“We have resolved to find out where they consume illicit alcohol and drugs and then we will develop our strategies to cope up because these people are also very intelligent. When you go this way, they know how to go around but ours is, we must be ahead of them,” said Maj. Gen. Daniel.