Later on March 7, two major drug dealers were arrested in Rulindo and Nyabihu districts with combined 12kgs and 115 pellets of cannabis.
Earlier on January 19, RNP arrested three other people also in Rulindo District in possession of 1,300 pellets of cannabis.
The same was on November 24, last year when another major drug supplier was intercepted in Riryi Village, Mugote Cell, Ngoma Sector of Rulindo District with 15kgs of cannabis.
Similar successful operations have been conducted before in Rulindo District, which is mapped as one of the main drug trafficking routes to the City of Kigali.
In the latest operation conducted on Tuesday, March 29, another drug trafficker was intercepted in Gatimba Village, Bugaragara Cell of Shyorongi Sector also in Rulindo trafficking about 1,000 pellets of cannabis to Kigali.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Alex Ndayisenga, the Northern Region Political and Civic Education Officer (RPCEO), identified the suspect as Placide Nshimiyimana, 40.
“Nshimiyimana was trafficking the narcotics in a Kigali-bound bus from Musanze District. These are part of the ongoing operations targeting major drug dealers and routes used, and Rulindo is one of the routes to Kigali,” said SP Ndayisenga.
He added: “When some drug dealers find way to sneak the narcotics into Rwanda porous border points, they also try to find ways to get the narcotics to the final destinations to supply other retailers, and Rulindo is mapped out as one of the routes to Kigali. These are targeted and random operations to break the chains of supply.”
The Ministerial order nº 001/MoH/2019 of 04/03/2019 establishing the list of narcotic drugs and their categorization classifies cannabis in the category of “very severe narcotics.’’
Article 263 of law No 68/2018 of 30/08/2018 determining offenses and penalties in general states that any person, who unlawfully produces, transforms, transports, stores, gives to another or who sells narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, commits an offence.
Upon conviction for “very severe narcotics,” the offender faces between 20 years and life imprisonment, and a fine of between Rwf20 million and Rwf30 million.
Leave a Reply