23-Year-Old's Committal to High Court Confirmed in Kush Possession Case

The defendant in the case of possession of kush is slated for trial in the High Court following a preliminary investigation that established sufficient evidence to support a full trial. The matter has been formally committed to the High Court, and the defendant remain in custody pending the judicial proceedings.

Prince Mustapha Massaquoi, aged twenty-three, appeared before Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah at Pademba Road Court No. 1 in Freetown, facing a charge of unlawful possession of a prohibited drug, contrary to Section 8(a) of the National Drug Control Act No. 10 of 2008.

The prosecution alleges that on Sunday, December 1, 2024, at Caulker Street, Wellington in Freetown, the defendant was found in possession of a quantity of kush (cannabis) without lawful authority. No plea was entered when the charge was formally read and explained.

The prosecution's first witness, DPC 17772 Faud Swarray of the Family Support Unit, identified the defendant. Swarray testified that on December 1, 2024, the defendant was arrested at the Congo Water Police Post in connection with an incident involving a bag containing chains valued at seventy-eight thousand Leones. The defendant allegedly admitted that the bag contained drugs. A subsequent search of the defendant’s residence revealed a plastic bag containing a dry substance suspected to be kush. A search warrant was endorsed and signed by all relevant parties on the same date.

Inspector Kargbo, who prepared a detailed report on December 2, 2024, testified that he obtained a voluntary caution statement from the defendant. The statement was taken in Krio, translated into English, read back to the defendant, and signed with his thumbprint in the presence of the investigator, with the defendant admitting to its contents. The case was subsequently transferred to the Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU), following advisory from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The defendant provided an additional voluntary caution statement on December 19, 2024, under the same procedural safeguards. He was formally charged on January 8, 2025, and all statements were tendered as evidence.

Throughout the proceedings, the defendant lacked legal representation and did not exercise the right to cross-examine witnesses. Upon the conclusion of the prosecution's case, the defense rested its case.

After reviewing the evidence presented, Magistrate Jah ruled that the prosecution had met the evidentiary threshold required for committal. Consequently, the matter was formally committed to the High Court for trial. Bail was denied, and the defendant remains in custody as the case progresses.