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Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah of Pademba Road Magistrate Court No. 1 in Freetown has remanded Mohamed Hassan Juma and Alfai Shabani Mkobela, businessmen from Tanzania, after they appeared before the court on drug-related charges.
The duo appeared in court on four counts of possession and collection of prohibited drugs without lawful authority, contrary to Section 7(b) of the National Drug Control Act 2008 (Act No. 4.10 of 2008), and possession of prohibited drugs without lawful authority, contrary to Section 8(a) of the same Act.
According to the charge sheet, it was alleged that the two accused on Tuesday, 22nd October 2024, at Freetown International Airport were found in possession of 34 compressed parcels of cocaine without lawful authority.
When the charges were read and explained to them, the accused persons did not take a plea because they are before the court on a priliminary investigation.
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State Prosecutor A.B.N. Taylor Kamara, leading Police Constable Alhaji Dauda Sandi (15113), attached to the Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU), stated that he recognised the accused persons in the dock.
He recalled that on 23rd October 2024, while on duty at TOCU, a transfer case and inquiry files from the Airport Police Station regarding the offence of unlawful possession were handed over to him for further investigation. The accused persons were subsequently arrested on 4th November 2024. The abstract report dated 22nd October 2024 and the voluntary caution statements were both tendered as exhibits.
He further explained that on 23rd October 2024, he, together with Inspector Steven A. Turay, obtained voluntary caution statements from the accused. The accused were cautioned and questioned in English, and their responses were recorded in English. At the conclusion of the questioning, each statement was read to the respective accused persons in English, which they admitted to be true and correct by appending their right-hand thumbprints, witnessed by Inspector Turay, while Sandi signed as the recorder. The statements were tendered as Exhibits D1-14 for the first accused and E1-9 for the second accused.
During the investigation, a request for forensic analysis was made on 23rd October 2024. The forensic analyst’s report, dated 4th November 2024, identified Exhibits Z1-4. Advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) was tendered as Exhibit G, dated 13 November 2024.
Both accused persons were charged separately with offences of transporting and collecting prohibited drugs without lawful authority.
In summary, both accused were properly cautioned and questioned, with all statements duly recorded by Alhaji Dauda Sandi of TOCU and witnessed by Inspector Steven A. Turay.
After the witness testimony, Magistrate Jah ordered both accused to be remanded at the Male Correctional Centre in Freetown and he adjourned the matter to 10th September 2025.
