By Emma Black
The High Court of Sierra Leone has sentenced a Pakistani national, Abdullah Abdul Rehman, to forty (40) years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty of unlawful possession of drugs.
The conviction and sentence were delivered on 12 February 2026 by Mark Ngegba, sitting at the High Court in Freetown, according to a statement issued by the Judiciary of Sierra Leone.
Abdul Rehman was charged with unlawful possession of drugs contrary to Section 8(a) of the National Drugs Control Act of 2008. The prosecution alleged that on 4 January 2025, at Lungi in the North-West Region, he was found in possession of 300 grams of cocaine without lawful authority. He pleaded not guilty, prompting a full trial.
At the commencement of the trial, Justice Ngegba reminded the court that the prosecution bore the burden of proving its case beyond reasonable doubt. To meet this requirement, the State called three witnesses, all of whom testified under oath and were cross-examined by the defence.
The first prosecution witness, Assistant Superintendent of Police Joseph Stevens, a forensic analyst attached to the Transnational Organised Crime Unit, testified that his responsibilities include analysing suspected drugs and chemical substances. He told the court that on 6 January 2025, he received two transparent polythene bags containing a white powdered substance suspected to be cocaine for laboratory analysis. According to his testimony, all 46 pellets were examined, with samples subjected to chemical and microscopic crystal analysis. The results confirmed the substance to be cocaine hydrochloride.
The second prosecution witness, Detective Sergeant Sahr Kovoma Sundu, also attached to TOCU as an investigator, testified that he was assigned the case on 5 January 2025. His investigation established that the accused was in unlawful possession of a substance believed to be cocaine. He further informed the court that during questioning, the accused stated that the substance was given to him by an unknown person and claimed he could provide the person’s contact details.
Testifying in his defence through an interpreter, the accused stated that he previously lived in Pakistan before travelling to Sierra Leone, where he stayed at a hotel in Lungi. He described himself as a businessman dealing in mobile phones. While admitting possession of the substance, he claimed it was handed to him by a Sierra Leonean acquaintance and that he was unaware it was cocaine. He told the court that he placed the substance in his socks after receiving it.
In delivering his judgment, Justice Ngegba ruled that the prosecution had successfully proved beyond reasonable doubt that the substance found on the accused was cocaine weighing 300 grams, and that it was unlawfully possessed.
“Based on the totality of the evidence before the court, I am satisfied that the prosecution has established its case. The accused is accordingly found guilty as charged and is hereby sentenced to forty (40) years’ imprisonment,” the judge declared.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 23rd February 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
