Rwanda National Police

Two more people have been arrested in Rulindo District as part of the ongoing Rwanda National Police (RNP) operations against drug dealers and to break chains of supply in Rwanda.

They were arrested with combined 344 pellets of cannabis in separate Police operations conducted on Friday and Saturday in Gatimba Village, Bugaragara Cell, Shyorongi Sector.

The District Police Commander (DPC) for Rulindo, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Pacifique Gakwisi Semahame said that one of the suspected drug dealers identified as Edson Uwimana, 40, was arrested Friday, January 21, with 144 rolls of cannabis.

Another suspect; Janvier Habiyaremye, 43, was apprehended on Saturday, January 22, with 200 pellets of cannabis.

CIP Semahame also said that Uwimana is a military impersonator after claiming after his arrest, that he is a serving military officer.

?Uwimana was in a bus, which was stopped and searched on Friday at about 8pm, at a Police checkpoint mounted in Shyorongi. He first denied being the owner of the luggage in which the narcotics were found and claimed that he is a serving military officer," said CIP Semahame.

It later emerged that Uwimana was dismissed from the army in 2019 at the rank of corporal and has previously served a two year sentence for drug abuse.

Since his release, however, it is alleged that he has also been trafficking narcotics, mainly from other suppliers in Rubavu District to supply his customers in Kigali.

At the same security checkpoint, the DPC said that Habiyambere, who was also traveling in a public bus from Musanze to Kigali was found in possession of 200 rolls of cannabis.

Their arrest came few days after three suspected drug dealers were also intercepted in Rulindo en route to Kigali with combined 1300 rolls of cannabis.

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CIP Semahame reminded the public that abusing drugs affect the health of users adding that dealers are poisoning people for individual gains. He advised them to engage in legal and productive activities instead of wasting their energy and resources in such criminal acts leading to their arrest and spending many years in prison.

The Ministerial order n? 001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorization classifies cannabis in the category of "very severe narcotics.??

Article 263 of law No 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offenses 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 between Frw20 million and Frw30 million.