High Court Judge, Justice Mark Ngegba, has sentenced David Johnson, a motor driver and resident of Deep Eye Water, Waterloo Highway, to 30 years’ imprisonment for transporting prohibited drugs without lawful authority.

The sentencing took place at the Main Law Courts Building in Freetown.

David Johnson was charged on two counts under the National Drugs Control Act, 2008 (Act No. 10 of 2008) Transportation of Prohibited Drugs without Lawful Authority, contrary to Section 7(b), and Unlawful Possession of Drugs, contrary to Section 8(a).

According to the prosecution, on 13th May 2025, at the Mile 18 Police Checkpoint in the Kambia Police Division, Northern Province, Johnson was intercepted while transporting eighty-nine (89) compressed parcels of cannabis sativa without lawful authorization.

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In his statement, the accused admitted to committing the offence. He explained that as a professional driver operating a red and yellow Nissan vehicle (registration number AUX 384), he was hired by one Jelika Conteh to transport a package, claiming he did not know it contained illegal substances. Johnson pleaded for leniency, saying the act was unintentional.

Defence Counsel, M.K. Dauda, also appealed to the Court for mercy, arguing that his client had no prior criminal record and was unaware of the package’s contents.

Delivering his judgment, Justice Ngegba stated that while the Court considered the guilty plea and the mitigation statement, the seriousness of the offence and its harmful effect on society could not be overlooked. He noted that drug trafficking undermines public safety, health, and national development, and therefore requires a firm judicial response to serve as a deterrent.

Consequently, the Judge sentenced Johnson to 25 years’ imprisonment on the first count and 5 years on the second count, to run concurrently, resulting in an effective 25-year jail term.