Rwanda National Police

Police and the cooperative of commercial motorcyclists in Nyagatare District have joined efforts to track down taxi-moto operators, who traffic illicit drugs into the country or facilitate traffickers.

On Monday, Police intercepted a taxi-moto operator in Rwabiharamba Village, Ndama Cell of Karangazi Sector in Nyagatare with 28 boxes of Soft gin. The motorcycle RD 262D the trafficker was using, was also impounded.

According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pierre Tebuka, the District Police Commander (DPC) for Nyagatare, 16 cases of drug trafficking involving commercial motorcyclists were recorded in June and 25 others have been registered since the beginning of this month.

“We have increased operations against drug traffickers including motorcyclists, who are hired to transport them or used as informers. The increase in those arrested this month compared to last month is because of these strengthened operations,” SSP Tebuka said.

He said that the successful operations are based on credible information they get from the general public.

“Let those still involved in these high impact crimes know that they might be successful today, but they will be arrested tomorrow to face the law for such serious crimes, which destroy societies and young people in particular,” the DPC warned.

Under article 263 of the new penal code anyone convicted of producing, transforming, transporting, storing, giving to another or selling narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances face a penalty of imprisonment between seven years and a life sentence, including fines of up to Rwf30 million.

Leonard Ntare, who heads the cooperative of taxi-moto operators in Nyagatare, also warned members for engaging in trafficking illicit drugs and other criminal activities.

Ntare said that they have partnered with Rwanda National Police (RNP) to fight trafficking of illicit drugs and smuggling, and to ensure that their members involved are identified and arrested.

“When we find that one of our members is involved in any criminal activities including illicit drugs we inform the Police. We are also working with the Police in educating our members on dangers of trafficking, selling and abusing psychotropic substances, we believe this behavioral change will facilitate in community policing activities against this vice of illicit drugs and other lawlessness,” Ntare said.

“We have also laid plans to extend our patrols on the conduct of our members, to borderlines to identify our members that could be engaged in these criminal activities. We are also registering all our members for better management,” Ntare explained.

The federation of motorcycle cooperatives in Rwanda (FERWACOTAMO), said that they are working with RNP, Rwanda Utility Regulatory Authority (RURA) and Rwanda Cooperative Agency (RCA) to ensure that the motorcycle transport business is organized including registering all their members across the country and fitting GPS’ in all their motorcycles.

With the GPS, it makes it easier to trace the motorcycle back to its owner and to identify the person that was using it that very day or night it was implicated in any unlawful act.