Trader and Miner Jailed 13 Years for Kush in Kenema

The Kenema High Court has sentenced two individuals to a combined thirteen years’ imprisonment after they were found guilty of possessing and using the prohibited drug known as Kush, in a ruling that underscores the judiciary’s firm stance against drug-related offences in the region.

The convicts, Lahai Sannoh, a 45-year-old diamond miner from Konia Kpidima Village in Lower Bambara Chiefdom, and Mariama Kebbie, a 45-year-old trader from Dauda Town in Kenema, were convicted under Section 8(a) of the National Drugs Control Act of 2008, Act No. 10 of 2008.

Presiding over the matter, His Lordship Hon. Justice Abdul Sheriff sentenced Sannoh to seven years’ imprisonment after he was found in possession of fourteen wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Kush on November 14, 2025. Sannoh pleaded guilty to the offence and appealed for mercy through his counsel, Patrick Kamara of the Legal Aid Board in Kenema. Taking into account the guilty plea and the plea in mitigation, the court handed down the seven-year custodial sentence and ordered the public destruction of the exhibit.

In a related case, the court sentenced Mariama Kebbie to six years’ imprisonment after she was found in possession of forty wraps of dried leaves suspected to be Kush on November 6, 2025, at Dauda Town in Kenema. Kebbie also pleaded guilty and appealed for leniency, with her defence counsel informing the court that she is a caregiver with young children and had claimed the substance was given to her for safekeeping without her knowledge that it was prohibited.

Justice Abdul Sheriff, after considering the guilty plea and mitigation plea, imposed a six-year prison sentence and similarly ordered that the seized drug be destroyed in public view.

The matters were prosecuted by Andrew F. Kamara, State Counsel and Customary Law Officer in Kenema. The ruling sends a strong warning to drug offenders as authorities intensify efforts to curb the spread and use of Kush in Kenema and surrounding communities.