Rwanda National Police

Assorted goods that include secondhand clothes have been intercepted in Rubavu and Nyamagabe districts after they were smuggled into the country.

At least 20 bales of secondhand clothes locally known as caguwa were intercepted on January 25, in Mataba Village, Bugoyi Cell of Gisenyi Sector in Rubavu.

The clothes were at the time being smuggled in a passenger vehicle Toyota coaster registration number RAA 931Z, which was also impounded.

Also seized in Rubavu are tins of Nido, powdered milk, and six cartons of caro-light. Caro-light is a bleaching lotion banned in Rwanda.

Police spokesperson for the Western region, Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Eulade Gakwaya said that the goods were intercepted by night patrols.

“The region is prone to smugglers from the Democratic Republic of Congo through porous borders, but we have also intensified operations and night patrols in particular. We are happy that the public are part of this and they share with us information on smugglers, and drug traffickers, and the routes they use; that’s why we are able to intercept and arrest them,” CIP Gakwaya said.

Elsewhere, in Nyamagabe, one Erneste Dusengimana was also arrested in Gasaka Sector after he allegedly attempted to bribe a Police officer with Rwf15, 000 after he was intercepted with smuggled petroleum products

All the seized smuggled goods were handed over to Revenue Protection Unit (RPU), a Rwanda National Police (RNP) arm attached to Rwanda Revenue Authority (RRA) to fight fraud and smuggling.