At least five sacks of hemp burned publicly at Biakato stadium
Security services incinerated at least five sacks of hemp seized from shops in Biakato, along with high-strength alcohol and expired goods, at a public ceremony at the local stadium on 7 October 2026; no sellers were named or arrested in the reports.
On Wednesday 7 October 2026 authorities held a public destruction ceremony at Biakato’s local
stadium in Mambasa territory, Ituri province.[1][2]Security services burned at least five sacks
of hemp recovered from several commercial houses, together with strongly alcoholic drinks and
expired products that the reports treated as prohibited or unsafe.[1][2]
Deputy territorial administrator Colonel Tshisimbi Maxime, on mission in the area, said the
operation aimed to discourage hemp sales and other banned or expired goods, Dépêche.cd and Le
Bastion.cd reported.[1][2]
Civil-society coordinators Peresi Mamboro of the Nouvelle Société Civile Congolaise and Amitié
Bwira of the Assistance nationale pour les droits de l’homme welcomed the burn, while residents
who watched called for further raids to identify sellers.[1][2]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Le Bastion.cdlebastion.cdFRMambasa : une importante quantité de chanvre et de boissons prohibées incinérée publiquement à Biakato
Open questions the AI reported
Neither outlet gave the hemp weight in kilograms, only at least five sacks taken from several shops.
Alcohol and expired consumer goods were destroyed in the same ceremony; those items are not counted here.
No arrests or formal charges against traders were reported in these accounts.
Later ACP reporting linked a similar Biakato destruction to Ebola messaging with four sacks of hemp; whether that refers to the same operation is unclear from the October 7 articles alone.
Security services intercepted 17 packages of cannabis at the SNCC freight yard in Mwene-Ditu on 4 September 2026 as they were about to leave by train toward Katanga. Mayor Gérard Tshibanda Kabwe watched them burned at city hall alongside urban security council members and SNCC officials.
On 16 December 2025 Kinshasa’s judicial police narcotics unit seized 56 sacks of cannabis hidden in a container during checks at Mitendi, west of the capital, and arrested suppliers with more sacks and kraft paper used for retail packs.
On 14 March 2025 police in Matadi arrested Mavambu Kitsofi, alias Muke Tonga, and FARDC adjutant Barumé Moïse during Operation Ndobo, seizing 10 sacks of cannabis and kraft paper rolls used for retail packaging.
Customs officers at N'djili airport in Kinshasa seized 476 cartons holding 2,985 kilograms of cannabis biomass that was about to be exported without a declaration. The DGDA named Instadose Pharma DRC SARL as exporter and said the firm had medical cannabis licences but no export authorisation.
