Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, The Gambia) – In one of The Gambia’s most closely watched drug trafficking trials, High Court Justice Ebrima Jaiteh acquitted four Portuguese nationals accused of attempting to smuggle cocaine through the Banjul International Airport while ordering five Gambian airport employees to stand trial on charges of dealing with and conspiring to traffic prohibited drugs.

The ruling followed a no-case-to-answer submission by defense counsel Sheriff Kumba Jobe, who argued that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence linking his clients—the four Portuguese women—to the intercepted cocaine shipment.

Justice Jaiteh agreed, stating emphatically that the prosecution’s case against Vilma Cabral Roel, Ana Patricia Dos Santos Furtado, Simara Nadiya Martins, and Miriam Maria Mendes was based on “mere suspicion” and lacked any concrete evidence of their possession or knowledge of the 30 blocks of cocaine discovered on June 29, 2024.

The cocaine, weighing over 30 kilograms, had been found inside three pieces of luggage at the airport, with an alleged destination of Barcelona via Vueling Airlines.

Despite the drugs being reportedly linked to the four foreign nationals, Justice Jaiteh found that none of the 17 prosecution witnesses had “directly identified or linked the 1st to 4th accused persons to possessing illegal substances.” He underscored that the actions leading to their arrest were informed solely by suspicious behavior rather than solid proof.

“A shared Passenger Name Record does not establish a criminal conspiracy,” the judge noted in his ruling. “No physical evidence of the drugs was found on them, and no eyewitness accounts or surveillance footage corroborated the theory of their direct involvement.”

In sharp contrast, Justice Jaiteh ruled that a prima facie case had been established against the five Gambian co-accused—Seedy Ceesay, Lamin Ceesay, Yaya K. Jatta, Modou Bojang, and Muhammed Jallow—all of whom were staff members at the Banjul International Airport at the time of the incident.

The court outlined a disturbing chain of coordination among the five airport workers that, according to Justice Jaiteh, suggested a “coordinated effort toward the contravention of prohibited drug laws.”

“The evidence demonstrates a deliberate and collaborative scheme among the local accused persons to bypass airport security protocols and facilitate the smuggling of illicit drugs,” Justice Jaiteh stated.

He cited specific actions and testimonies that tied each of the local defendants to the scheme:

Seedy Ceesay was found to have handed over three pieces of luggage and €21,000 in cash to co-defendant Lamin Ceesay without adequate explanation, raising red flags about his role in facilitating the operation.

Lamin Ceesay, whose position as an airport employee gave him access and authority, was said to have further transferred the luggage and funds to Yaya K. Jatta, another employee. Jaiteh said this placed Lamin “in a pivotal role” in the alleged conspiracy.

Yaya K. Jatta, a senior security officer, was found to have actively recruited Modou Bojang for the transportation of the luggage. He also allegedly arranged flights and participated in money handoffs, suggesting managerial oversight of the operation.

Modou Bojang admitted under questioning that he was approached by Jatta to move the suspect luggage and accepted payment in return. His own admissions, Jaiteh said, substantiated “the web of conspiracy.”

Muhammed Jallow, also a security officer, was accused of failing to act when discovering the suspicious nature of the luggage and reportedly engaging in bribery negotiations, a move that, according to Jaiteh, constituted a “grave lapse” in his duties.

The judge’s meticulous dissection of the case has shifted public scrutiny away from the initial targets—the foreign nationals whose presence drew significant media attention—and onto the inner workings of the airport security system, which now appears to have been compromised from within.

“The prosecution has successfully established a prima facie case that necessitates the 5th to 9th accused persons to present a defense,” Justice Jaiteh concluded.

With the four Portuguese women now acquitted and discharged on all counts, attention turns to the looming trial of the Gambian airport personnel.

The five accused Gambian airport workers are now expected to open their defense in the coming weeks. If found guilty, they could face severe penalties under The Gambia’s stringent Drug Control Act, which carries hefty sentences for trafficking and conspiracy offenses.