Police in Nyarugenge District are holding a 23 year old man for allegedly attempting to sneak narcotic drugs into Mageragere Prison.

Senior Supt. Emmanuel Hiatayezu, the Central region Police spokesperson, said that the suspect was arrested on July 7, when he tried to traffic half a kilogramme of cannabis concealed in his shoes.

"He had gone to prison to visit one inmate incarcerated there and during the visit, they tried to exchange shoes so that the suspect leaves his shoes stashed with drugs, with the inmate. This was a tricked they hatched to beat security,” Hitayezu said.

"It was easier to notice what was going on due to high level of vigilance by prison wardens. When they saw them exchanging shoes, they immediately seized the shoes, searched them and found pellets of cannabis weighting about half a kilogramme stashed in the shoes,” he said, adding that the suspect was immediately immediately taken into custody and handed over to Police.

Hitayezu said that it is common practice that everyone who enters the prison is subject to search and all inmates are also searched after meeting visitors, which he said has made it difficult to sneak contraband into prison.

However, he said, vigilance is always maintained to ensure any attempts to beat security through methods like used by the above suspects, are detected.

There are also cases where some visitors have been arrested with illicit drugs concealed in milk or water containers.

The spokesperson warned the general public against such criminal attempts emphasising that fighting drugs is among the priorities of Rwanda National Police in partnership with other security agencies as well as other public and private institutions and the general public through community policing.

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