By Yusufu S. Bangura
Francis Brima Meinday, Assistant Commissioner of Police and Regional Commander Freetown East told newsmen that a suspect by the name of Ozonbay Chower, a foreigner of 54 Effort Lane, Lower Savage Square in Freetown swallowed hundred wraps of kush and found dead after taken to Kingtom Police Hospital.
He made this disclosure at their head office, George Street in Freetown during their weekly press briefing.
He disclosed that in the early morning of Wednesday 12th June 2024, the Harbour Division troop intercepted and arrested the suspect with 100 wraps of kush, twenty five wraps of marijuana and a sachet of substance suspected to be kush all in his possession.
“Ozonbay Chower, upon his arrest tactically swallowed the 100 wraps of kush in a flash and taken to the Kingtom Hospital for an immediate medical attention. However, he was passed away in a gangland-style,” he said.
Meinday reiterated that illegal drugs abuse has no room in the country, and the effect would be severe. “We have constantly on our toes to fight against kush and other substance abuse,” ACP Meinday said.
He stated that the Sierra Leone Police would continue to mount raids in different hotspot zones and arrest suspects, he therefore called on Sierra Leoneans to feed them with intelligent with places and individuals involve in kush transaction.
Assistant Commissioner of Police and Regional Commander Freetown East confirmed that the region remains relatively calm and quiet as people continue to move with their normal businesses.
Going further, Mohamed Kugba Allieu, Head of Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU) said whiles’ acting on an alert, the unit found out that one Fatmata Jalloh of Devilhole in Freetown was alleged engaged in money laundering and they discovered eighty four notes of one hundred dollar each suspected to be counterfeit. He added that the said notes had been taken to the Bank of Sierra Leone for supervision.
He informed pressmen that the suspect was arrested and she is in police custody for investigation. “If the notes happen to be false, she will be charged to court,” he said.
In another update, head of TOCU revealed that on 30th May 2024, a container was traced at the Queen Elizabeth II Query with a search warrant and they retrieved seventy cartons of drugs suspected to be Tramadol. He stated that the drugs are in police custody for investigation.
He ended by saying they had made a number of arrests mainly of kush suspects and individuals engaged in drugs and other criminal acts.
Abdul Moigueh, Assistant Commissioner of Police and representative Freetown-West stated that the entire region is enjoying a relative peace.
He called on Sierra Leoneans that the Sierra Leone Police would put security measures in place amid the widespread rumors of unlawful protects from some civilians in an attempt to disturb the peace of the nation.
Manfred Williams, Regional Commander North-West also ascribed the peace and calmness at his area of duty. He said with the Kambia District, there were deaths of five individuals as a result of the intake of drugs. He added that similar matter occurred in Port Loko and police have embarked on investigation for the two matters.
Brima Kanneh, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Southern Region revealed that operations at various border crossing had been mounted to prevent any unlawful protects.
He said a total of two hundred and eighty-eight drug cases (288) were charged to court since the start of this year. As per district, Bo district had seventy-four (74), Bonthe nineteen (19), Rutile eleven (11), Moyamba one hundred and seven (107), Pujehun fifty-seven (57) and Gendema twenty (20).
Andrew Kamara, Commissioner Eastern Region affirmed that they would continue to mount security check points along the borders and other divisions. He said the fight against kush continues to be one of their underpinning priorities across the region in order to arrest suspects.
Sergeant John Abbas Kamara, Commissioner and media Representative North-East said there had been joint patrons from the Sierra Leone Police and Army Force to make sure that the area remains calm and quiet.
