Prosecution grills woman arrested with cocaine

Hasifa Ddungu, a British citizen suspected of drug trafficking, yesterday appeared before prosecutors for questioning as they continue to build a case in which she is accused of trafficking a kilogramme of cocaine through Kigali International Airport.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

Hasifa Ddungu, a British citizen suspected of drug trafficking, yesterday appeared before prosecutors for questioning as they continue to build a case in which she is accused of trafficking a kilogramme of cocaine through Kigali International Airport.

Alain Mukuralinda, the spokesperson for the prosecution, said the 47-year-old woman appeared before prosecutors in Nyarugunga, Kicukiro District.

Ddungu, a Ugandan born,   was arrested last Saturday at Kigali International Airport, allegedly in possession of the contraband that, according to police, is estimated to be worth Rwf45 million.

Police say she was arrested during a routine screening by the airport security. 

She was in transit en route to Entebbe, Uganda, from Bujumbura, Burundi.

Mukuralinda told The New Times that the suspect would be arraigned in court at a later date, after investigations.

He said police transferred the suspect’s case to prosecution on Monday but the process was delayed because she had to acquire a lawyer and a translator before she could be questioned.

According to Mukuralinda, the lawyer and interpreter had been obtained by Wednesday afternoon, hence setting her up for interrogation.

Ddungu is expected to be arraigned before High Court, because the crimes she stands accused of are cross-border in nature.

Ddungu is the first person to be arrested on Rwandan territory trafficking cocaine since 2007, according to police.

Upon conviction, she may serve up to 10 years in prison and/or fined up to Rwf10 million.