They were arrested in operations conducted on July 3rd and 4th in the sectors of Nemba, Kivuye and Gatebe.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Aphrodis Nkundineza, the District Police Commander for Burera said that the traffickers were at the time sneaking the narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances into Rwanda from Uganda, through porous borders.

"On July 4, four traffickers were arrested in Kivuye Sector with 54 litres of kanyanga and another dealer identified as Daniel Biziyaremye was arrested in Nemba Sector, Nyamugari Cell with 135 litres of kanyanga and 10kgs of cannabis," SP Nkundineza said.

Baziyaremye was part of the group but others run away during the operation.

He identified those arrested in Kivuye Sector as François Ntawukigiruwe, 21, Protais Ayishakiye, 24, Emmanuel Manirakiza, 18, and Ismael Irakarama, 18.

On July 3, the DPC said, security organs also foiled a group of traffickers that calls itself abarembetsi and arrested one of them identified as Jean Claude Mutabazi and seized 120 litres of kanyanga.

"These were successful operations conducted by the Police and other security officials as well as local leaders based on credible information provided by residents on drug dealers and the routes they use. They seized drugs were disinfected and disposed of," said the DPC.

He also warned that such illegal cross-border leads to the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We know the current Covid-19 situation and we urge the public to act responsibly; it is an issue of life and death," SP Nkundineza said.

Kanyanga is listed as a simple narcotic drug in Rwanda with an imprisonment of between seven and ten years and a fine of between Rwf500, 000 and Rwf1 million.

On the other hand, cannabis is classified as a very severe narcotic drug with a sentence of between 20 years and life in prison, and a fine of up to Frw30 million.