High Court Judge, Justice Isata Sellu Tucker has sentenced 25-year-old Petty Trader, Kadiatu Kargbo and 26-year-old Mason, Abdulai Bangura to a thirty-year jail term each after their conviction of the offence of Unlawful Possession of Drugs contrary to section 8 (a) of the National Drugs Control Act 2008, Act No. 10 of 2008.

Kadiatu and Abdulai were before the court to jointly answer to two counts of Unlawful Possession of Drugs, for which they both pleaded guilty to the offences charged upon their arraignment.

According to the particulars of the offence, the Defendants, on March 31, 2024, in Sierra Leone’s Western Area, were found in possession of 40.5 grams of Kush and 30.5 grams of Kush, respectively, without lawful authority.

Delivering her judgement, Justice Tucker said the defendants at the start of the proceedings pleaded guilty to the offences charged without wasting the court’s time, adding that “however the court has a duty not only to punish wrongdoing, but also to deter others who may be inclined to engage in similar conduct, as a result these convicts will not go unpunished,” she stated.

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“I hereby sentence them both to thirty (30) years imprisonment each, and the period spent on remand shall be deducted from the total custodial term,” she ordered.

She noted that the substances found in their possession were not brought to court, but were informed by the State Counsel that they had been destroyed by the appropriate authority.

In another similar matter, 35-year-old Labourer, Emmanuel Cole and 21-year-old Businesswoman, Ramatu Mansaray, were jointly convicted of the offence of Unlawful Possession of Drugs contrary to section 8 (a) of the National Drugs Control Act 2008, Act No. 10 of 2008.

Emmanuel was found in possession of 50.0 grams of Kush, while Ramatu was found in possession of 60.0 grams of Kush without lawful authority.

They both pleaded guilty to the offences charged without wasting the court’s time.

Addressing the court shortly before her judgment, the Honourable Judge noted that the convicts did not waste the court’s resources and which she said is considered a mitigating factor.

She stated that the crimes for which they have been convicted are heinous offences which have resulted in the untimely reduction of the country’s youthful population.

“Notwithstanding the above, the court owes a duty to the country by ensuring that wrongdoers are punished as a means of deterrence,” she said.

Taking into consideration the nature and seriousness of the offence, she sentenced both convicts to thirty (30) years imprisonment each.