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Kinyarwanda
Separate operations against drug dealers and producers led to the arrest of three people, who were found either distilling or selling narcotics.
Police spokesperson for the City of Kigali, Senior Supt. Emmanuel Hitayezu said that all the suspects were arrested Butangampundu Village of Gako Cell in Masaka Sector, Kicukiro District.
He identified the suspects as Elie Hakizimana and Claudia Niyonkuru, both who were found with varied quantities of cannabis, and one Innocent Nsengiyumva, who was caught with locally distilled illicit brew.
“They are all detained at Masaka Police station pending further investigations by the Bureau,” SSP Hitayezu said.
“Mapping of areas with most drug dealers, abusers or routes have informed the way to respond either through awareness or operations to bring to justice those involved,” SSP Hitayezu said.
He pointed at Masaka, Kimisagara, Nyakabanda, Nyamirambo, Rwezamenyo, and Gitega as some of the major places.
Similar operations were also conducted in other parts of the country. In Ngoma District, two people who were running illegal distilleries were also arrested in Rurenge and Remera Sectors.
Distilled illicit brew given varied names, were also seized from the illegal breweries.
Late last year, RNP and Rwanda Standards Bureau (RSB) started operations against illegal distilleries. So far, hundreds of illegal distilleries have been closed across the country for either operating illegally or contrary to the set standards.
RSB specifies that only food grade processing aids recognized as safe for human consumption shall be used during the manufacture.
Other standard requirements include labeling as a prerequisite; the name of the products, physical and postal address of manufacturer; net contents in milliliters or liters; ethyl alcohol content; date of manufacture and expiry date; storage instruction; statutory warnings; and list of ingredients in descending order.
