Police in Kayonza district Saturday arrested two men suspected of smuggling 200 kilograms of cannabis to Rwanda’s capital Kigali.
According to the police statement, the suspected drug smugglers indentified as Emile Gashirabake and Jean Nshimiyimana tried to hide the drugs in bags concealed under bananas being transported to the city.
The suspects had a Toyota Dyna pick-up, registration number RAB 517F that contained the smuggled goods and that are currently being held at Kabarondo Police Station.
Police Spokesman Supt Theos Badege said, “We monitor all entry points through which cannabis is smuggled into the country. We shall not tire to combat drug use and trafficking.”
“The suspects were intercepted at a police roadblock at Kabarondo. Ours is a long-term campaign to stop drugs entering into the country. I advise everyone involved in the crime to stop the practice immidiately,” he said.
The Mayor of Kirehe District that borders Tanzania and Burundi, Protais Murayire, noted that more efforts are required to combat drug trafficking especially in Cyunuzi, Gatore, and Musaza villages notorious for drug trafficking.
“We have always warned people against involvement in illicit drug business. Unfortunately they are used by high-profile businesspersons. It is a sad reality that rape, theft, killing, among others, are all crimes motivated by the use of drugs,” he said.
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species; Cannabis sativa,Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. The three are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia.
It has long been used for fibre (hemp), for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a recreational drug. Industrial hemp products are made from Cannabis plants selected to produce an abundance of fiber.
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