A 70-year-old woman, Ya Kadiatu Barrie, has been sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison after pleading guilty to multiple drug-related offences before High Court Judge Justice Mark Ngegba.
Barrie was arrested during a police raid in Makeni, where officers reportedly found quantities of kush and tramadol in her possession.
When the case came before the court, she admitted to the offences and pleaded for leniency, telling the judge that imprisonment would further deteriorate her already fragile health.
Despite her appeal, Justice Ngegba noted the seriousness of the crimes and the need to deter the trafficking and possession of illegal substances across the country.
He handed down three separate sentences: 17 years for unlawful possession of kush, 7 years for unlawful possession of tramadol, and an additional 7 years for keeping illegal substances.
The sentences will run consecutively, bringing her total prison term to 31 years.
