Rwanda National Police

Police operations conducted on January 10, in the districts of Kayonza and Gasabo led to the arrest of six people suspected of abusing drugs as well as smuggling them around the country.

According to the Police Spokesman for Kigali City, Modeste Mbabazi, said the operations were largely successful due to Police collaboration with the public through community policing, through which individuals provide timely information to Police about illegal activities and suspicious individuals traversing in communities.

“The six individuals were all arrested from different places and they will now have to face the law. Drug abuse has no place in society, especially in a society like Rwanda that values development of individuals and the country as a whole,” he said.

Drug abuse is a concern that brings Police together with other public stakeholders who desire to stamp it out of society.

Although it affects all age groups, it has been realized that the most affected are the youth, including those in schools.

Most drugs registered in Rwanda are cannabis and illicit brews locally known as muriture, kanyanga, bareteta, yewe muntu and ibikwangari, all which contain life threatening content.

Article 594 of the Penal code stipulates that any person, who consumes, injects or inhales, anoints him/herself with or makes any other unlawful use of narcotic drugs, shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of one to three years and a fine of Rwf50, 000 to Rwf500, 000.

Any person who unlawfully makes, transforms, imports, or sells narcotic  drugs within the country, shall be liable to a term of  imprisonment of three to five years and a fine of Rwf500, 000 to Rwf5 million.

If the acts under the preceding paragraph are committed internationally, the penalties are doubled.

Police continues to fight this scourge and a number of people have been arrested for either selling or consuming drugs, with scores of them prosecuted or await their fate.