Kigali city authorities have this Thursday destroyed an assortment of smuggled products including; illegal drugs, alcohol among others.
According to details, the destroyed products are valued at Rwf61.7 million.
The smuggled products were seized during a joint operation aimed at combating illicit trade and protecting public health.
The operation involved Rwanda National Police in collaboration with the Rwanda Investigation Bureau, the prosecution service, local authorities, and residents.
The public destruction took place in Nduba Sector, an area commonly used for waste disposal collected from different parts of Kigali.
According to Kigali Police spokesperson CIP Wellars Gahonzire, the destroyed items had been stored at various police stations across the city following seizures made during different law enforcement operations.
The destroyed goods included 352 kilograms of cannabis, 1,203 litres of illicit gin commonly known as Kanyanga, substandard alcoholic beverages of various brands, illegal food products, drinks, skin-lightening oils locally known as “Mukorogo,” and other prohibited items.
Officials estimated the total value of the destroyed products at Rwf61,701,740.
Police said the operation forms part of broader efforts to combat drug trafficking, illegal trade, and products considered harmful to public health and community safety.
Taarifa Investigative Desk previously established that alcoholic products packaged in sachets were officially banned in Uganda and are no longer legally available on the Ugandan market.
However, Taarifa established that some of the banned sachet alcohol products continue to be clandestinely produced and smuggled into neighboring countries, including Rwanda.
According to the report, some sachet alcohol brands circulating on the Rwandan market bear the logo of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), although several products reportedly lack manufacturing dates and proper labeling.
A source within Uganda’s Trade Ministry, quoted anonymously by Taarifa, suggested that many of the sachet products are illicitly manufactured.
“Illicit production, otherwise all these were banned. Does it bear a manufacturing date?” the source reportedly questioned.
Authorities in Rwanda have also raised concern over the growing presence of smuggled sachet alcohol and potent gin entering the country through illegal channels.
Senior Superintendent of Police Hamdun Twizerimana, spokesperson for the Eastern Province Police, acknowledged an increase in illegal alcohol smuggling from Uganda into Rwanda.
“Smuggling doesn’t mean that the borders are not well secured. Smugglers are constantly changing their methods,” SSP Hamdun Twizerimana said.
He explained that smugglers often use motorcycles, late-night transportation routes, and concealed packaging methods to evade detection.
“These alcohols are dangerous to health, cause accidents and disputes in families,” he added.
Police say the illegal alcoholic sachets are no longer limited to border districts and have increasingly been detected in districts such as Rwamagana, Kayonza, and even Kigali.
Authorities have urged the public to continue cooperating with security agencies by reporting drug dealers, smugglers, and distributors of counterfeit or illegal products, warning that such activities threaten both public health and national security.
By Andrew shyaka
