English
Kinyarwanda
A security operation to crackdown on illegal distilleries in Nyagatare District on Friday seized over 4500 liters of illicit substances.
The operation was conducted in the villages of Mirama I and Mirama II of Nyagatare Sector.
According to Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Hamdun Twizeyimana, the Police spokesperson for the Eastern region, they also seized at least 10 kilogrammes of raw materials including sodium benzoate and yeast locally known as pakimaya used in making bread.
Sodium benzoate is an acid substance widely used as food preservative, and which can cause cancer if one is exposed to large amounts, according to medical experts.
“The substances were seized from five distillers; Justine Mbabazi, 37 (1920 litres), Cyperien Uzamugura, 47 (200 litres), Martin Nteziryayo, 37 (120 litres), Janvier Munyantore, 47 (1200 litres), and Jeanette Zaninka, 38 (160 litres),” CIP Twizeyimana said.
He thanked the residents for information sharing which he said continue to facilitate successful operations.
“The operation will continue. If you know you are engaged in such criminal tendencies know that it’s just a matter of time,” he warned.
The seizure and destruction of the substances is part of the ongoing countrywide operations which start last year, by Rwanda National Police (RNP) and Rwanda Standards Bureau (RSB) as well as local authorities, to close any illegal distillery and take legal action against those involved.
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.
