70-year-old woman, Ya-Kadiatu Barrie, has been sentenced by the High Court in Freetown to a total of 31 years in prison after admitting to several drug offences, including the unlawful possession of Kush.
Justice Mark Ngegba delivered the sentence on Thursday, 20 November, after Ms Barrie pleaded guilty to three counts. The charges covered keeping a prohibited drug under the 2024 Drugs and Substance Abuse Public Emergency Response Regulations, unlawful possession under the National Drug Control Act of 2008, and related offences.
Court records show that Ms Barrie was arrested on 20 October 2025 in Makeni, Bombali District. Officers found her with 40 grams of Kush and 60.4 grams of Tramadol, and she was unable to produce any legal authorization for the substances.
After the charges were read, she entered a guilty plea, which allowed State Counsel C. P. Williams to rely on the indictment without further evidence. The court then entered guilty findings on all three counts.
In her plea for mercy, Ms Barrie asked the court to consider her age and declining health. Her lawyer, A. K. Dauda, supported the appeal and noted that she had cooperated throughout the case and had not contributed to any delay.
The prosecution maintained that the offences required a firm response, recommending at least ten years on two of the counts and up to eighteen years on the first, citing the country’s heightened concern about drug abuse.
In passing sentence, Justice Ngegba said he had taken her circumstances into account but stressed the severe impact that illegal drugs continue to have on communities across Sierra Leone. He imposed 17 years for possession of Kush, 7 years for possession of Tramadol, and another 7 years for keeping prohibited drugs. Although the sentences will run concurrently, the combined term stands at 31 years.
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The case reflects the judiciary’s ongoing effort to confront the spread of illegal substances at a time when the use of Kush and other drugs remains a growing national worry.
