By Saio Marrah
The case of a dismissed Police Officer William Sawyer accused of selling the drug ‘Kush’ has been committed to the High Court after Magistrate Mark Ngeba presiding over the matter at Court No.1 in Freetown said there was sufficient evidence for the accused’s trial.
Magistrate Ngegba arrived at this conclusion on Friday 15th September 2023, after a Police Detective Sub-Inspector A. Kamara, of Ross Road Police Station, testified in court at the Preliminary Investigation (PI).
Kamara told the court that on Tuesday 22 August this year, based on intelligence, he and other police officers boarded their police vehicle and went on a patrol. Upon arriving at Grafton, the team of police officers met the accused and that they formally introduced themselves to him.
After showing a warrant to the accused for them to search his house for ‘Kush’ and Marijuana, Kamara said they discovered 70 kg of substance suspected to be ‘kush’.
The court learned from Kamara that they also discovered three assorted substances alongside scissors, and cash in the sum of One thousand three hundred and eighty-nine New Leones (1, 389).
According to him, the search warrant was endorsed by the accused who signed the document after which he was arrested, and together with the exhibits taken to the Ross Road Police Station.
The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) had earlier announced the sacking of the accused after his arrest.
‘Kush’ has become a national concern with many people suggesting that President Julius Maada Bio declares it as a national emergency. Social media videos have shown addicts looking dazed or slumped as a result of consumption of ‘kush’.
Several Police and Soldiers have been dismissed after videos of them went public showing them intoxicated. Some communities have targeted ‘kush’ addicts or staged peaceful demonstrations against the substance.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (18/09/23)
