By Fatima Kpaka
Freetown, March 5, 2026 — The High Court in Freetown has sentenced Monica Kumba Kaiwandi to 20 years imprisonment for unlawful possession of 165 tablets of tramadol.
Justice Mark Ngegba delivered the ruling after finding Kaiwandi guilty of violating Section 8a of the National Drugs Control Act No. 10 of 2008. According to the indictment, she was arrested on July 29, 2025, in Freetown with 800 grams of tramadol without lawful authority.
The prosecution, led by State Counsel A. Jalloh, argued that the evidence clearly established the offence. Jalloh noted that Kaiwandi had no prior criminal record.
In her plea for leniency, the defendant, a mother of three, told the court she was the sole breadwinner of her family and begged for mercy.
Justice Ngegba, however, ruled that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt. “It is very clear that the defendant was unlawfully in possession of the drugs,” he stated, before handing down the 20-year sentence.
Kaiwandi was represented by defense counsel M. Y. Conteh.