Rwanda National Police

Police in Gicumbi District destroyed narcotics including 50 cartons of a banned brand called Chief Waragi, 3,500 liters of an illegally distilled brew and 530 kilograms of gut commonly known as mairungi.

The destruction event was conducted on May 11 in Kaniga Sector, attracting students, residents and local leaders and was conducted as part of the Rwanda National Police (RNP) campaigns to fight and prevent drug dealings in the country.

Shortly after the activity, the District Police Commander of Gicumbi, Senior Supt of Police (SSP) Karangwa Murenge, told residents to share the anti-drugs message with others in society and urged the youth to prevent their colleagues from abusing drugs.

“Young people should effectively deal with peer pressure. If there are groups that are in the habit of promoting drug abuse, report them to school authorities and to Police,” he said.

“Success in the fight against drugs trade, as well as the associated problems of drug abuse, requires collective efforts through community policing, to ensure that drug dealers have no space for operation.”

He added that drug dealing is not only associated with violence and crime, it in several instances lead to school dropouts and underdevelopment of communities.

Against such a backdrop, he called for serious anti-drugs initiatives to be upheld in all communities to ensure that they are safeguarded from the scourge.

One of the students who attended the drug destruction event, Jean Baptiste Dusengimana, called upon fellow young men and women to fight against drug abuse and be ambassadors of the law by sensitizing their communities about the dangers associated with abusing drugs.

RNP is determined to continue its campaigns and operations, and even adopt more efficient methods each year to combat the scourge of drug abuse  from the Rwandan society.