A High Court in Freetown has sentenced Abdul Rahman Conteh to a total of 80 years imprisonment after finding him guilty of possessing, dealing in, and selling kush, a prohibited narcotic drug under Sierra Leone’s National Drugs Control Act of 2008.
The judgment was delivered by Hon. Justice Mark Ngegba of High Court No. 3 following a trial in which prosecutors presented evidence linking Conteh to a substantial quantity of the illicit substance.
According to court records, Conteh was arrested on October 29, 2025, after police recovered 560 wraps of kush weighing approximately 600 grams. He was subsequently charged with one count of unlawful possession of prohibited drugs and two counts relating to dealing in and selling the substance.
During the proceedings, the prosecution called three witnesses, including forensic analyst ASP Joseph Stevena, who testified that laboratory examinations confirmed the seized material contained synthetic cannabinoids, substances commonly associated with kush.
Other witnesses, Detective Sergeant Sahr Koyoma Sundu and Detective Constable John Umaru, presented caution statements, charge sheets, and exhibits tendered as evidence before the court.
Although Conteh denied ownership of the drugs and maintained that he was mistakenly arrested during a police operation, the court found inconsistencies in his defence. Justice Ngegba noted that the accused had made a voluntary caution statement admitting involvement in the sale of narcotic drugs, while forensic evidence independently confirmed the nature of the substance recovered.
In his ruling, the judge held that the prosecution had established its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the accused failed to provide any lawful justification for possessing the drugs as required by law.
Conteh was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on the count of unlawful possession and 35 years each on the counts of dealing in and selling prohibited drugs. The sentences are to run consecutively, bringing the total prison term to 80 years.
The state was represented by prosecutors A. Jalloh and E. Deen, while M.K. Dauda appeared for the defence.
The conviction comes amid ongoing national efforts to combat the growing kush crisis, which authorities have identified as a major public health and security concern in Sierra Leone.
