Magistrate Marke Ngegba of Magistrate Court No.1 in Freetown has on Monday 5th December 2022 Sentenced four Police to jail. Exhibit Clerk, Detective Sergeant 13905 Mohamed Usufu Jalloh, testified that he was on duty on the 22nd November, 2022 when he received from Sergeant 10831 Sesay A. 226 Cannabis Sativa, 20 wraps of Kush, 6 tablets of tramadol, 1 wrap of Cannabis Sativa and a kush respectively.

On Monday 28th November, 2022 four of the dismissed Police officers, Haja Safinatu Conteh, Alpha Kargbo, Ibrahim Collier Hazeley and Mohamed Nabieu pleaded guilty, while the fourth accused, Santigie Turay pleaded not guilty before the court for the offences charged against them.

The accused were facing six counts of unlawful possession of Cannabis Sativa, Kush and Tramadol all contrary to section 48(1) of the Pharmacy and Drugs Act of 2001.

Police had alleged that the first accused Haja Safinatu Conteh on Tuesday 8th November, 2022 at SILEA Campus, Police Training School, Hastings, was found in possession of two hundred and twenty six wraps of Cannabis Sativa contained in a black plastic bag weighing 20 grams without lawful authority.

The second accused Alpha Kargbo on the same day and place was found in possession of ten wraps of “kush” contained in a medical sachet weighing 0.4 grams without lawful authority and was also found in possession of six tablets of tramadol also contained in a medical sachet weighing 0.2 grams without lawful authority.

Ibrahim Collier Hazeley was found in possession of one wrap of Cannabis Sativa weighing 0.4 grams without lawful authority and Santigie Turay was also found in possession of one wrap of Cannabis Sativa weighing 0.4 grams while Mohamed Nabieu was found in possession of one wrap of “kush” weighing 0.2 grams.

In his plea in mitigation, Defense Counsel Ahmed Mansaray Mansaray pleaded with the Bench to temper Justice with mercy. However, Magistrate Ngegba noted the seriousness of the offense and he sentenced the first convict serve a jail term of 10 months, second convict 12 months, third convict 6 months while the fifth convict to serve a jail term of 8 months, all to run concurrently.

The fourth accused was remanded while his matter comes up on Monday 12th December, 2022.