Rwanda National Police (RNP) has arrested a drug dealer identified as Eric Sindayigaya, 32, in Rugarama Village, Kagina Cell, Runda Sector, Kamonyi District with 282 rolls of cannabis.
Sindayigaya, who was arrested on Tuesday, July 20, was at the time going to supply one of his clients in Rugarama village, Police said.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Theobald Kanamugire, the Police spokesperson for the Southern region said that Sindayigaya’s criminal activities were reported by members of the public.
“Residents had informed the Police that Sindayigaya is a drug dealer supplying retailers in Runda Sector. On Tuesday, they also called the Police after suspecting him to be having a new consignment of cannabis, and officers arrested him red-handed with 282 pellets of cannabis,” SP Kanamugire said.
The suspect told the Police that he got the narcotics from unnamed man at Giti k’inyini in Nyarugenge District.
About the suspect
Sindayigaya is a recidivist, who has been convicted twice for the same crime. He was first given a two-year sentence, which he served before he was also arrested again in 2016 and handed another three-year sentence, which he completed in 2019.
He has now been handed over to RIB at Runda station for further investigation as the search for his alleged supplier and other members of the ring, continues. Cannabis is classified among the “very severe narcotic drugs” in Rwanda.
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 up to Frw30 million.
Article 52 of the same law states that for felonies, recidivism occurs at any time when a person reoffends after conviction in a final judgment.
Every recidivist receives the maximum penalty provided by law and such penalty may be doubled. (End)