MURAMVYA July 8th (ABP) – The International Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking was celebrated in the Bugarama zone of Muramvya commune and province (center-west) on Friday.
The celebration was held under the theme: “Let’s stand together to fight against the misuse of drugs,” a check on the site by ABP has revealed.
The activities related to that day began with the destruction of narcotics seized by the police and courts of the Republic in different provinces of the country during the period from June 2018 to June 2019.
Public Prosecutor Sylvestre Nyandwi officially authorized the burning of those narcotics. The quantities destroyed consist of 1,660 kg of cannabis leaves, 8,446 cannabis balls, 7,3kg of cocaine and 3kg heroin, a check by ABP revealed.
Occasional speeches continued in Bugarama, where the governor of Muramvya, Mr. Laurent Nicimbeshe, said in his welcoming speech that his province is safe, that the harvest is satisfactory and that the province was in joy to welcome the authorities, among others, the first Deputy President of the Republic of Burundi, Mr. Gaston Sindimwo and the Minister of Public Security and Disaster Management, Chief Police Commissioner Alain Guillaume Bunyoni,.
Minister Bunyoni said in his speech that Burundi joins the rest of the world to show its strength and its obvious desire to fight against narcotics in the country in favor of consumers who are in greater numbers, following the files forwarded to the police and the quantities that have just been burned at Bugarama. He noted that 2,499,726 kg of cannabis, 31,162 cannabis balls, 27,273 Indian hemp shrubs and 56 kg of narcotics seeds have already been seized by police and court services.
The Minister responsible for public security asked for the continued support of the government to effectively combat the extra-border proliferation of narcotics, to support the efforts of the judicial police by building their capacity in this fight and to facilitate the granting of useful drugs and a drug rehab center as requested by the former drug addicts who gave testimonies in that celebration of July 5, 2019, he said.
He also called on parents and young people to adopt responsible behavior, each one as far as he/she is concerned, in order to avoid the consumption, marketing and cultivation of narcotics.
The speech was made by the first Deputy President of the Republic, Mr. Gaston Sindimwo. He asked all Burundians from the interior or the diaspora, parents, educators and learners, leaders of religious denominations, media and youth in general to participate effectively in the fight against the scourge of illegal drugs.
He pointed out that punitive measures have been taken against drug users and traffickers and that the government intends to make every effort to support the Ministry of Public Security and Disaster Management in combating illicit drug use.
The first Deputy President of the Republic insisted that Burundi will do everything to save the victims of drugs brought by traffickers, illegal seekers of currencies.
Note that the International Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking that Burundi celebrated at Bugarama on July 5th, is generally commemorated on June 26 of each year worldwide, according to the speakers of the day.