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Rwanda National Police

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Inside Police operations against drug dealers in Southern Province

Fighting drug related crimes is one of the Rwanda National Police (RNP) priorities against lawlessness and to further improve the overall safety and security in the country.

Thus, various measures were put in place to curb the vice that is rated high among the youth, including breaking chains of supply as well as harnessed awareness to educate the young people on dangers of abusing drugs as a way of killing the market.

Like in other parts of the country, the awareness campaigns continue to yield results in the Southern Province in terms of strong partnership and information sharing on suspected major drug dealers.

Over the past five months alone, about 110 suspected drug dealers were arrested in the districts of Muhanga, Ruhango and Kamonyi.

"About 40 people were arrested with combined 35,000 pellets of cannabis while 70 others are dealers in kanyanga, who were found with 346 litres," said Superintendent of Police (SP) Theobald Kanamugire, the Police spokesperson for the Southern region.

The seized drugs were disposed of on Wednesday, February 3, in Nyarusiza Village, Gitarama Cell of Nyamabuye Sector, Muhanga District.

The public destruction exercise was witnessed by Police officers, officials from prosecution and Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).

Cannabis and kanyanga are classified among the "very severe drugs" and "simple drugs" respectively, under the Ministerial Order No.001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorisation.

Under article 263 of the law determining offences and penalties in general in Rwanda, anyone convicted for dealing in "very severe drugs" faces between 20 years and life in prison and a fine of up to Frw30 million.

In case of simple drugs, the sentence ranges between seven and ten years in prison and a fine of between Frw5 million and Frw10 million.

According to SP Kanamugire, most cases of cannabis were registered in Nyamabuye Sector, Muhanga District where the majority dealers were arrested.

Kanyanga cases were high in Ruhango District, where majority dealers were also arrested, he added.

"Most of the drug dealers were reported by the residents in communities from where they were operating, and this is the result of awareness campaign, community policing and strong partnership in terms of information sharing," SP Kanamugire said.

He said that narcotic drugs fuel other crimes like sexual and gender based violence, theft and assault, among others.