Rwanda National Police

In the last two months, strengthened joint operations by law enforcement agencies and local leaders in Gicumbi District led to the arrest of about 120 drug traffickers said to be operating in coordinated rings.

They were arrested mainly in the sectors of Cyumba and Kaniga as they crossed into Rwanda from the neighbouring Uganda with assorted narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.

Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Alexis Rugigana, the Police spokesperson for the Northern region, said that over 49, 000 rolls of cannabis, 1034 litres of Kanyanga (crude gin) and about 4700 sachets of assorted contrabands with varied brand names such as Chief Waragi, Zebra, Blue Sky and African gin, were seized from the arrested traffickers.

The impounded narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances were disposed of Tuesday during separate community security meetings held in the two sectors and attended by district local authorities and law enforcement organs.

While speaking to about 1500 residents of Byumba Sector, the mayor of Gicumbi, Felix Ndayambaje, urged them to stand up and take the lead to report drug dealers using their communities as stores, selling points or transit routes.

He warned against illegal cross-border activities and called for “parents’ responsibilities” to ensure that their children go to school to prevent them from indulging in such criminal tendencies.

“One thing you don’t know is that what you are doing is not only criminal but also an economic loss to your families and the country in general. We have been told that these substances that we have destroyed were worth about Rwf22 million, which is more than enough for a cooperative to invest in legal and lucrative businesses to change your lives,” Mayor Ndayambaje said.

He also urged communities residing on borderlines to be responsive to report people they suspect to be drug traffickers and work with security organs to break trafficking rings.

CIP Rugigana thanked the residents for their responsiveness, which he said was key in locating and arresting the suspects, and seizure of the illicit drugs.

In a related development, in other districts, two motorcyclists were also arrested Tuesday in Nyagatare and Gatsibo districts while trafficking assorted contrabands including Kanyanga and 20 cartons of African gin. The motorcycles; RE 870B and RE 575P were also impounded.

Two other people identified as Raphael Bamfashekera, 58, and Phenias Hakizimana, 28, were caught in Busoro Village, Banana Cell of Matyazo Sector in Ngororero District distilling kanyanga.

At the time of their arrest, the duo had distilled 93 litres of kanyanga.