Rwanda National Police

Police in Ngoma District is holding one Emmanuel Minani, 30, who was arrested on January 11, with over 140kgs of cannabis.

The District Police Commander of Ngoma, Supt. Vita Hamza said that Minani was arrested red-handed with the narcotic drugs concealed in three sacks, in Meraneza Village of Karwema Cell in Mutenderi Sector.

“We received a phone-call at about 3am about three people, who were carrying sacks; the caller reported that he suspected the trio to be carrying cannabis, probably because it’s one of the transit routes and calculating the time arouse instincts of illegal act,” Supt. Vita said.

“Police officers were dispatched, and the resident’s instincts became a reality after police intercepted the trio and found the sacks full of cannabis weighting 140kgs. However, when the suspects noticed officers they abandoned the drugs and escaped, but they managed to arrest one of them – Minani – in the process,” he added.

“We know Mutenderi is one of the routes used by drug traffickers from Tanzania through Kirehe, and we have strengthened awareness and operations, which continue to yield results,” he noted, thanking the resident, who was quick to share information.

“We have already identified who the two other suspects are, and the owner of the narcotics, who had hired the trio to transport the drugs, and they will be arrested as well,” he noted.

The arrest comes at the time when Rwanda National Police (RNP) has strengthened operations, increased deployments of officers in prone areas and mapped-out transit routes, as well as strong partnership with neighboring police forces to break supply chains.

Currently, a joint operation between RNP and the Tanzania Police Force is regularly conducted in River Kagera, against drugs and illegal movements.

Locally, there is an ongoing joint sensitization campaign by ministries of Justice, Health, Local Government, Youth; RNP, prosecution and local authorities from the region down to the village level.

On Wednesday, during the campaign conducted in Rubavu District, about 420kgs of cannabis and over 1900 liters of illicit gin, were destroyed.

This followed a similar exercise in Burera late last year where 2918 dozens of banned contrabands in different brands, were seized and disposed of; and other 900kgs of cannabis, 3330 litres of locally made illicit brew, 446 litres of crude gin locally known as Kanyanga, among others destroyed at Nduba landfill in Gasabo District.