{Evariste Ntakirutimana and Anicet Nzeyimana, both residents of Kirehe District spent years dealing in narcotic drugs. More than a year ago, the duo decided to quit both abusing and selling cannabis. Both are now into the legal fishing business.}
To a 42-year old Ntakirutimana, the “anticipated gains in the sale of narcotics turned out to be days and nights of losses and misery.”
“Dealing in drugs put me in prison not once not twice; I wasted the family income and made my family poor,” Ntakirutimana, who was speaking to about 300 fellow fishermen in Kirehe, said.
This was during a campaign organized by the District Police Unit (DPU) of Kirehe held on March 17, bringing together sailors and fishermen from Musaza and Kigarama.
“Today, I am standing here as a witness; before quitting the business, I was even viewed by my own family as a dangerous person, indeed, because I would harass and assault them whenever am under the influence of drugs; I was wasting the family income into criminal and life threatening business, and yet I was contributing nothing to the growth and development of the family,” Ntakirutimana narrated.
“I am now a reformed person, dealing in legal business… in fact I am now refunding the family income I misused for years and just in one year, I can say that am happy with the progress seeing my family happy,” said Ntakirutimana, who urged anyone still involved, to refrain from dealing in drugs.
For Nzeyimana, he said: “I don’t remember a day I bought cannabis and succeed in selling it because in all occasions I was caught and drugs seized.”
According to Nzeyimana, he reformed after he was also sensitized and heard such testimonies of other people, who also quick the criminal business.
The two former drug dealers are among those who stopped trafficking, selling and abusing drugs in Kirehe, who are currently using their testimonies to campaign against drug abuse in the district.
Inspector of Police (IP) Gahigi Harerimana, the District Community Liaison Officer (DCLO) of Kirehe, while speaking to the fishermen and sailors, urged them to be agents of community policing and report those who trying to use water transport to traffic drugs and smuggle goods into the country.
He reminded them that although drugs are on the decrease in the district, Kirehe remains one of the major routes for drug dealers, with some of them using water transport to smuggle narcotics into the district.
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