21 Arrested in Eastern Rwanda Over Illegal Alcohol.
Police in Rwanda’s Eastern Province have arrested 21 people after seizing more than 6,000 bottles of Zebra Gin and hundreds of litres of other banned alcoholic drinks in an operation conducted on September 17, 2026.
The operation also resulted in the seizure of 355 litres of Kanyanga, 322 litres of other prohibited alcoholic beverages and three motorcycles allegedly used to transport Zebra Gin, one of the brands removed from the Rwandan market.
SSP Hamduni Twizeyimana, the Rwanda National Police spokesperson in the Eastern Province, said the seized alcohol was recovered from five of the province’s seven districts, with the largest quantities found in Nyagatare, Gatsibo and Kayonza.
He said the operation was not planned in advance but was launched after police received information from members of the public.
“This was not a planned operation. It was carried out based on information provided by citizens, who have become increasingly aware of the harmful effects of substandard alcoholic drinks,” Twizeyimana said.
“Much of the large quantity of alcohol seized had been brought into Rwanda from Uganda, while some of the drinks were produced locally,” He added.
Some of the 21 suspects have been handed over to the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) for further investigations, while others were taken to rehabilitation centres, according to Twizeyimana.
The arrests are part of a wider nationwide campaign to eliminate illicit and substandard alcoholic drinks from the Rwandan market. Authorities have so far closed more than 140 facilities linked to the production of such beverages and recalled hundreds of brands considered unsafe.
The crackdown has also resulted in the arrest and prosecution of people suspected of producing or distributing the banned drinks, as well as some public officials accused of facilitating the activities.
