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The High Court of Sierra Leone has sentenced two Tanzanian nationals, Hassan Mohamed Juma and Alfai Shabani Mkobela, to 30 years’ imprisonment each after finding them guilty of unlawful possession of cocaine, contrary to Section 8(a) of the National Drugs Control Act, 2008.
The judgment was delivered by Honourable Justice Mark Ngegba at the Main Law Courts Building on Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown, following offences committed in October 2024.
According to evidence led by the prosecution, the two men were arrested on October 22, 2024, at Lungi in the North-West Region, where they were found in possession of 34.9 kilograms of cocaine without lawful authority. Both defendants pleaded not guilty, placing the burden on the prosecution to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The prosecution called two key witnesses. Assistant Superintendent of Police Joseph Stevens, a forensic analyst attached to the Trans-national Organized Crime Unit (TOCU), testified that on October 17, 2024, he received compressed parcels of a white substance suspected to be cocaine. He stated that a chemical analysis was conducted in the presence of the accused persons, the former Head of TOCU, CSP M.K. Allieu, and a crime officer, confirming the substance to be cocaine weighing 34.9 kilograms.
The investigating officer, Detective Police Constable Alhaji Dauda Sandi, told the court that he took over the case on October 23, 2024, and uncovered sufficient evidence to charge both defendants.
In his defence, Hassan Mohamed Juma testified that he and his co-accused had travelled to Sierra Leone on the invitation of an individual who promised them employment in another country. He claimed that while lodging at a hotel, an unknown person delivered four suitcases containing shoes and clothes. Juma further stated that on October 22, 2024, they transported the locked suitcases to Seacoach Express and were escorted to the airport. He said that shortly after boarding their flight, his name was announced, and he was confronted with the suitcases at the aircraft door, which he denied owning. He maintained that he had no knowledge that the suitcases contained cocaine.
In delivering his ruling, Justice Ngegba held that the prosecution had successfully established its case beyond reasonable doubt. “Considering the foregoing, I hold that the prosecution has provided sufficient evidence to warrant a guilty verdict against the defendants. Each is therefore found guilty as charged,” the judge declared.
During sentencing, defence counsel C.I. Williams appealed for leniency, arguing that the convicts are foreigners with wives and children in Tanzania who depend on them as principal caregivers. He warned that a lengthy custodial sentence would have severe psychological and social consequences for their families.
However, prosecuting counsel A. Jalloh opposed the plea, submitting that the defendants had wasted the court’s time and state resources. He stressed that drug trafficking undermines Sierra Leone’s international image and urged the court to impose sentences of not less than 40 years.
After weighing the submissions of both sides, the gravity of the offence, and all relevant circumstances, Justice Ngegba sentenced Hassan Mohamed Juma and Alfai Shabani Mkobela to 30 years’ imprisonment each.
The case underscores Sierra Leone’s resolve to combat international drug trafficking and strictly enforce the provisions of the National Drugs Control Act.
