On February 2, 2025, operatives of Nigeria’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) apprehended a 30-year-old Sierra Leonean national, Kargbo Mohamed Foday, at Port Harcourt International Airport.
Foday was intercepted during the inward clearance of passengers on a Qatar Airways flight from Doha, via Abuja to Port Harcourt. A body scan revealed he had ingested illicit drugs, leading to the recovery of 62 wraps of heroin, totaling 1.348 kilograms, over five excretions.
Investigations uncovered that Foday also holds a Nigerian passport under the name Onyekwonike Elochuckwu Sylvanus. He reportedly alternates between these identities to facilitate drug trafficking operations across countries including Thailand, Pakistan, Iran, and various West African nations.
Foday admitted to engaging in the illicit drug trade since 2017 after his clothing and shoe business failed.
Recent events have highlighted the involvement of Sierra Leonean nationals in drug trafficking activities both within the West African region and internationally.
In July 2024, Guinean authorities apprehended two Sierra Leonean women in Kourémalé, a town bordering Mali, for allegedly possessing 10 packets of cocaine. The suspects, including one identified as Aminata Mansaray, were en route from Sierra Leone to Ghana, transiting through Guinea and Mali. They are currently detained in Siguiri, Guinea, as investigations continue.
In a separate incident on December 31, 2024, a vehicle registered to the Sierra Leone Embassy in Conakry was intercepted by Guinean authorities. The vehicle contained seven suitcases suspected to be filled with cocaine, along with $2,000 in cash and mobile phones. The driver and another occupant were arrested. In response, the Sierra Leonean government recalled Ambassador Alimamy Bangura to Freetown for explanations and initiated an investigation in collaboration with Guinean officials.
In January 2025, Senegalese authorities arrested five Sierra Leonean nationals in Dakar on suspicion of drug trafficking. The individuals were reportedly involved in packaging narcotics at the Port of Dakar. They have been presented to the prosecutor’s office as legal proceedings commence.
In the past week, dutch prosecutors have reported that Jos Leijdekkers, a notorious Dutch drug trafficker sentenced in absentia to 24 years in prison for smuggling over seven tonnes of cocaine, has been residing in Sierra Leone for approximately six months. Leijdekkers, also known as “Bolle Jos,” is considered a key figure in international cocaine trafficking. Efforts are underway to secure his extradition to the Netherlands.
The Sierra Leonean government has expressed its commitment to combating drug trafficking and is cooperating with international partners to address these incidents. Investigations are ongoing, and authorities have pledged to hold accountable any individuals found guilty of violating national and international drug laws.
