Rwanda National Police

With the support of the residents of Gihorwe Cell in Kabatwa Sector, Nyabihu District , the Rwanda National Police (RNP) Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) arrested three major drug dealers on Friday, September 4.

The arrested suspects are; Jean Claude Hitayezu, 38, the drug dealer, Valentine Ayinkamiye, 37, who was transporting the narcotics, and Bonheur Harerimana, 39, who was buying.

According to Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region, the suspects were caught red-handed, after residents of Gihorwe gave the police information that the trio had made drug trafficking and trade their business.

“The police caught the three people as they planned to supply their clients. One of them was the supplier, another was the transporter, and the other is a client and retailer, who had come to buy in bulk so that he would supply consumers,” CIP Karekezi noted.

He then commended the people who shared the information and called upon the rest to keep up the good work of community policing, so as to fight more crimes.

Karekezi issued stern warning to everyone involved in drug related crimes noting that it is a "serious and high impact crime" that harms one’s health.

“These people are likely to spend many years in prison yet we have been educating and informing the public that the penalties for drug trafficking were tightened."

The suspects were handed over to Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) in Jenda, for the next legal step.

Article 263 of the law nº68/2018 of  30/08/2018 related to offences 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, the offender faces between seven years and life in prison and a fine of up to Rwf30 million.