Rwanda National Police

Police in Musanze District has equipped 180 members of 23 anti-crime clubs with skills of fighting and reporting suspected traffickers and abusers of psycho tropical substances.

In a training held in Muhoza Sector on October 12, the District Police Commander (DPC) Superintendent of Police (SP) Aphrodis Gashumba along with Muhoza Sector Executive Secretary Jean Pierre Manzi also tutored the trainees on the dangers of illicit alcoholic substances as drugs like cannabis to human health.

 SP Gashumba outlined a number of psycho tropical substances which he said listed as an illegal and dangerous substance in the ministerial order nº20/35 of 09/06/2015 determining unauthorized drinks and other controlled substances classified as narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors.

Among the substance he listed include Illicit gins like Kanyanga, cannabis, substandard alcoholic substance that are packed in non biodegradable polythene like Chief Waragi, Kitoko, Host Waragi, Blue Sky, Chase Vodka,   Kick Waragi, Zebra Waragi, African Gin and Chase Waragi among others.

“As partners you need to be on alert and report all traffickers and people who consume these substances. If you do that, then you will be contributing to the welfare of our fellow citizens,” said the DPC.

He went on to also outline tricks traffickers use and told clubs’ members that police is aware of these tricks with the help of the public that provides information and that’s why most of them have apprehended

SP Gashumba further told them that, “Whenever we seize illegal alcoholic substances or anything that is not licensed to be consumed, we arrest the producers, take samples of the substances to a laboratory for testing. If the results come out with 0.5 methanol and above, then that is considered a drug. We immediately process a case file and transfer it to the prosecution as evidence is court proceedings.”

Manzi told the trainees that, “Cases of domestic violence and child negligence are common in families that consume such products. The substances used in the making of illicit brew are poisonous, that’s why people who consume it end up being violent.”

“It’s a shame to have people we know producing such substances and we don’t report them. Always report such wrongdoers to the authorities,” he added.

Currently there 160 anti-crime clubs in Musanze District that were established with the help of Rwanda National Police.