By Fatima Kpaka
Freetown, June 2, 2026 — Hon. Justice Mark Ngegba of High Court No. 3 has sentenced Abdul Rahman Conteh to 80 years imprisonment after convicting him of unlawful possession, dealing in, and selling kush, a prohibited drug under Sierra Leone’s National Drugs Control Act of 2008.
Conteh faced three counts: unlawful possession of drugs contrary to Section 8(a), and dealing in and selling prohibited drugs contrary to Section 7(c) of the Act. The charges stemmed from his arrest on October 29, 2025, when police found him with 560 wraps of ‘kush’ weighing 600 grams.
During the trial, the prosecution called three witnesses, including forensic analyst ASP Joseph Stevena, who confirmed through chemical and microscopic tests that the seized substance contained synthetic cannabinoids. Detective Sergeant Sahr Koyoma Sundu and Detective Constable John Umaru also testified, tendering caution statements, charge sheets, and exhibits linking Conteh to the drugs.
Although Conteh denied ownership of the kush and claimed he was wrongly arrested during a police raid, Justice Ngegba highlighted contradictions in his defense. The court relied on his voluntary caution statement, in which he admitted to selling narcotic drugs, and on forensic evidence confirming the substance was kush.
Justice Ngegba emphasized that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, noting that the defendant failed to demonstrate lawful possession as required under Section 17 of the Act. He sentenced Conteh to 10 years on Count One and 35 years each on Counts Two and Three, to run consecutively, totaling 80 years imprisonment.
The prosecution was led by A. Jalloh and E. Deen, while M.K. Dauda represented the convict.