Rwanda National Police

A suspected drug dealer was arrested on February 19 in Kitabi Sector, Nyamagabe District with a sack of cannabis.

Bangwanubusa François, 56, who was on the list of suspected drug dealers, was arrested in a Police targeted operation in Kintobo Village of Kagano Cell. He is currently detained at Kitabi Police station.

“Police had information about Bangwanubusa criminal dealings; on Monday, Police received credible information of his whereabouts and that he had cannabis, and during an operation conducted at about 9:30pm, Police found him with quantities of cannabis,” Chief Inspector of Police (CIP) Emmanuel Kayigi, the Police spokesperson for the Southern region, said.

He added: “During his arrest, he tried to offer the officers a bribe of Rwf20000, but his ideals to escape the law failed. He will now be charged with trafficking and selling narcotic drugs, and bribery.”

Article 594 of the Rwandan penal code, stipulates, partly, that any person who, imports, or sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances 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.

Under article 641 of the same legal instrument, any person who directly or indirectly offers a gift in order to get an illegal service or refrain from carrying out their duties, shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of between five and seven years or a fine of twice to 10 times the value of what they had offered in bribes, or both.

“We are collaborating well with the public, which facilitates information flow on drug dealers and suspected criminals in general,” Kayigi said.