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Kinyarwanda
Separate operations by the Police and local authorities conducted in Nyabihu and Rutsiro districts against distilling and selling illicit brew, seized over 2500 litres of assorted substances.
At least 2,375 litres were seized from intercepted transporters in Nyabihu while 140 litres were seized from the producer identified as Speciose Nyirabiziyaremye in Mberi, Rutsiro District.
The substances were disposed of on Thursday, July 23.
Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Bonaventure Twizere Karekezi, the Police spokesperson for the Western region, said the substances disposed of in Nyabihu were impounded in separate targeted operations, all in Rugera Sector as they were being transported to other dealers in Musanze District.
"About 2,000 were being transported in a vehicle, which was intercepted recently in Rugera en-route to Musanze. Other substances were being transported on motorcycles and bicycles," CIP Karekezi said
Early this month, Police in Nyabihu also impounded a vehicle transporting over 1,000 litres of illicit brew.
"When we pour these illicit drinks in presence of the public, we are sending a message that distilling, transporting, selling and consuming them is illegal and punishable by law," CIP Karekezi said.
He added: "It is also the moment to educate them on the ill-effects of consuming them, their role to fight them by reporting producers and sellers but also to be accountable to them by showing them how effective the information they provided was to break rings of dealers and transporters."
The disposal of the illicit and harmful substances in Nyabihu and Rutsiro districts came a day after similar operations were also conducted in Nyagatare, Ngoma and Kayonza district seizing about 950 litres of illicit brew.
CIP Karekezi warned that such "criminal movements and dealings" can also spread COVID-19 from one place to another and warned of "strengthened operations to break production and transport chains."
