COCAINE GATE!
…22 Cartons Seized, 12 Vanish At Kissy Police
By Ibrahim Alusine Kamara (Kamalo)
In late April, a significant quantity of substance suspected to be cocaine was reportedly intercepted by fishermen at sea and subsequently brought ashore through the Portee Wharf in eastern Freetown.
According to reports, personnel attached to the Kissy Police Division received intelligence about the consignment and swiftly moved in, seizing 22 cartons with each containing 20 parcels of the suspected narcotics. The operation allegedly triggered tensions at the wharf, with some community members reportedly pelting stones at police officers during the confrontation.
The matter took a dramatic turn this week when police officers visited the offices of the newspaper that first broke the story. According to the officers, Police Headquarters had received no official record of such a seizure and therefore requested that the newspaper’s Editor report to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and provide evidence to substantiate the publication.
Refusing what he perceived as an attempt at intimidation, the Editor challenged the officers to visit the Portee Wharf themselves and seek clarification from residents familiar with the incident.
Ironically, the police action appears to have opened a Pandora’s Box. Not only have several residents of the Portee Wharf, including the fishermen who brought the consignment, have corroborated the account of the seizure, but further report states that junior police officers said to have participated in the operation are now making troubling allegations against some of their superiors. These claims point to possible irregularities in the handling of the confiscated substance and raise serious questions about accountability within the police ranks.
At the center of the controversy is the apparent disappearance of 12 of the 22 cartons allegedly seized. Questions are being raised about what became of the missing consignment and whether there was internal complicity within the Kissy Police Division, particularly involving officers attached to the Operational Support Division (OSD).
When contacted, the Western Area East Regional Police Commander, Assistant Inspector General (AIG) Kanneh, confirmed receiving only 10 cartons of the seized substance. He stated that he informed the Inspector-General of Police, who instructed him to transfer the cartons to the Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU). However, sources within TOCU claim that no such consignment was ever received.
The contradiction leaves a fundamental question unanswered: Where is the confiscated cocaine?
Further allegations from police sources suggest that some senior officers involved in the process may have appropriated portions of the seized consignment for personal gain. According to these sources, some officers are boasting of acquiring parcels of land, vehicles, and commercial tricycles, popularly known as “kekehs,” following the incident.
Meanwhile, reliable sources at Kissy Police intimate that junior officers who reportedly risked their safety in confronting the fishermen and securing the seizure are said to have been excluded from any benefits allegedly derived from the operation. It is further alleged that two members of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), who reportedly assisted police during the operation, have also expressed dissatisfaction and lodged complaints with the police disciplinary authorities at CDIID regarding their treatment.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, there is currently no public indication that any comprehensive investigation has been launched by higher authorities to establish the facts, determine the whereabouts of the missing cartons, or hold any culpable individuals accountable.
Until such an investigation is conducted, the questions surrounding the Portee Wharf cocaine seizure, and the fate of the alleged missing cartons, will continue to fuel public suspicion and deepen concerns about transparency, accountability, and the integrity of law enforcement institutions.
The irony could not be more glaring. At a time when a MAC-P (military aid to civil power) operation has been deployed by the President to combat the growing menace of narcotics in Sierra Leone, the very institution expected to lead the charge, the Sierra Leone Police, is increasingly finding itself at the center of allegations that undermine public confidence in the anti-drug campaign.
If the allegations surrounding the disappearance of cartons of suspected cocaine from the Portee Wharf seizure are true, then Sierra Leone is confronting a far more dangerous problem than drug trafficking itself. It is confronting the possibility that elements within the very institutions tasked with fighting the drug trade may be benefiting from it.
The success of any anti-drug campaign depends on integrity, professionalism, and accountability. But when questions emerge about missing drug consignments, contradictory accounts from senior officers, and allegations of personal enrichment by individuals involved in seizures, the public is left wondering whether the war on drugs is genuinely a war on drugs or merely a struggle over who controls the proceeds.
Even more troubling are persistent allegations that international drug barons operating within Sierra Leone enjoy protection from powerful figures and institutions. While ordinary citizens are subjected to arrests, prosecutions, and public humiliation for drug-related offenses, many Sierra Leoneans believe that the well-connected and politically protected remain beyond the reach of the law.
This perception of selective justice is corrosive. It weakens public trust, emboldens criminal networks, and sends a dangerous message that accountability is reserved for the powerless while impunity is the privilege of the influential.
Sierra Leone has increasingly found itself associated with allegations of being a transit and operational hub for international narcotics trafficking. Whether fair or unfair, such labels inflict severe damage on the country’s reputation, discourage investment, and raise concerns among international partners about the strength and credibility of state institutions.
If those entrusted with enforcing the law are themselves suspected of compromising it, then the consequences extend far beyond a single missing consignment. It threatens national security, undermines governance, and jeopardizes the future of an entire generation.
The question confronting Sierra Leone today is no longer whether drugs are entering the country. The question is whether the institutions mandated to stop them possess the political will, institutional courage, and moral authority to confront the problem without fear or favor.
The silence of the authorities in the face of serious allegations only deepens public suspicion. What Sierra Leoneans need is not public relations. They need transparency, independent investigations, and above all, proof that no individual, regardless of rank, office, political connection, or uniform, is above the law.
If decisive action is not taken, the country risks drifting into a dangerous reality where criminality becomes normalized, institutions become compromised, and public confidence collapses entirely.
For many Sierra Leoneans, the fear is no longer about what is happening today. The greater fear is what tomorrow may look like if these allegations continue to go unanswered and unaddressed.
Investigation continues…