Trending Now
#

Rwanda National Police

Service - Protection - Integrity

#

RUBAVU: Woman intercepted trafficking narcotics in sack of potatoes

Police in Rubavu District arrested a women on Thursday, July 22, who was trafficking over 500 pellets of cannabis concealed in a sack of irish potatoes.

Jeannette Muhawenimana, 25, was arrested at about 7pm in Bisesero Village, Kiremera Cell, Kanzenze Sector where she was waiting for a cargo vehicle to Kigali.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region, said that Police had earlier received information about Muhawenimana's plan to traffic the narcotics to Kigali.

"Earlier information provided by some members of the public, indicated that Muhawenimana, who is suspected to be a drug dealer, had a new consignment of cannabis, which she was trying to traffic to Kigali from Rubavu," CIP Karekezi said.

"Police officers tracked her to Bisesero Village, Kiremera Cell, Kanzenze Sector, where she was waiting for a cargo truck to transport a sack of irish potatoes to Kigali. When officers poured the potatoes, they recovered over 500 pellets of cannabis, she was immediately taken into custody and handed over to RIB at Kanama station," he added.

She disclosed that she got the narcotics from another supplier, who trafficked them into Rwanda from DRC and that she had a client in Kigali whom she was going to supply.

It is the second time that Muhawenimana has been arrested in drug related crimes.

CIP Karekezi lauded the impact of community policing through information sharing, which facilitates to identify and arrest drug dealers and break supply chains.

Cannabis is classified as a "very severe narcotic drug" in Rwanda

Under article 263 of the law determining offences and penalties in general states that; any person who, unlawfully produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, commits an offence.

Upon conviction for "very severe narcotics," the offender faces between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of up to Frw30 million.