{A woman suspected of trafficking narcotic drugs into the country was arrested on June 26 in Rubavu District.}
Jacqueline Nyiranzitonda, 36, was apprehended in Rubavu Sector by night patrols, after they recovered about 30 kilogrammes of cannabis.
She was later handed over to Police and currently detained at Gisenyi Police Station.
At the time of her arrest, Nyiranzitonda was also found with three mattresses said to have been stolen from different homes.
Police in Rubavu said it is investigating her likely link with other suspected drug traffickers and people involved in theft in the district.
Her arrest came a day after a week-long campaign against drug abuse was launched at national level.
It also came a day after other 90 kilogrammes of cannabis were also destroyed in Nyamasheke District on June 25 in a public awareness and destruction exercise.
The narcotics in Nyamasheke had been seized in separate operations conducted in the past two months.
The Western Province is said to be one of the major routes for drug traffickers from the neighbouring countries.
According to Rwanda National Police (RNP), most of cannabis is seized on Mukamira-Ngororero-Muhanga and Rubavu-Musanze-Kigali roads while other substances like Blue sky are smuggled into the country through Burera borderline, although the region is in some cases used as a transit route to the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Celestin Twahirwa, RNP spokesperson said that such successful operations result from the intensified activities that include sensitization campaigns in communities and schools, and the role the general public play under the auspice of community policing and timely information sharing.
“The philosophy is that in every drug related case, be it trafficking or consumption, someone failed somewhere,” said ACP Twahirwa.
“Every child engaged in drug abuse, on street, dropping out of school, a parent, elders, grassroots leaders and even the general population failed in one ways or another. When we put all these efforts together, the success will be enormous and rewarding in terms of education, development, safer and harmonious communities and households, among others,” he added.
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