Rwanda National Police

Community awareness coupled with operations against illicit drugs in Gakenke District are paying off especially in breaking chains of supply, the District Police Commander, said.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Viateur Ntiyamira was reacting to various operations conducted in September and October which saw illicit substances worth over Rwf5 million seized. 

The psychotropic substances were disposed of on November 30, in a public exercise held in Gakenke Sector, Rusagara Cell.

The destroyed drugs include 4,284 sachets of Blue Sky, 37kgs of cannabis, 1, 980 sachets of Chief Warage, 180 litres of crude gin commonly known as Kanyanga and 108 sachets of Chase Warage.

Majority of these illicit substances were seized from dealers in Kamubuga Sector, CIP Ntiyamira said.

"Due to intensified sensitization activities in communities and schools on dangers of drugs and increasing participation of residents in community policing and reporting dealers in particular, drug related crimes have tremendously gone down in Gakenke," the DPC said in an interview shortly after disposing of the substances. 

"These substances were seized in separate operations conducted in September and October, but in the whole following month of November we only seized 52 pellets of cannabis. This is largely because residents have made it hard for drug dealers to roam and conduct their criminal businesses in their communities," CIP Ntiyamira said.

"In September we arrested five big suppliers and three others in October, who have since been handed varied sentences. We have also strengthened awareness campaigns as a preventive measure to prevent new abusers and to break chains of supply especially in Kamubuga, the main route used by dealers from Uganda through 

Lake Ruhondo in Burera District."

The awareness is jointly conducted with local authorities and other security organs.

On the other hand, residents in the neighbouring Burera and Gicumbi districts mapped as major trafficking routes in the Northern Province have also taken an upper hand by creating anti-drugs groups which have been credited for increased seizure of substances and arrest of many traffickers in the recent past.