Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia). -The government of Sierra Leone is facing mounting pressure following the seizure of more than 30 tonnes of cocaine aboard a vessel intercepted by Spanish authorities earlier this month after departing from the port of Freetown.
According to Spanish police, the ship was intercepted off the coast of Western Sahara in what has been described as one of the largest cocaine seizures in the region in recent years.
The development has since sparked criticism from opposition figures who accuse the government of lacking transparency and failing to adequately respond to international allegations linking Sierra Leone to drug trafficking.
During a press conference on Tuesday ahead of the International Day of Families, Sierra Leonean authorities sought to focus discussions on family-related issues and the country’s growing domestic drug crisis.
However, journalists repeatedly questioned officials over the cocaine seizure connected to Freetown.
Ansumana Konneh, Director of Sierra Leone’s National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, largely avoided directly addressing the international trafficking allegations and instead highlighted the devastating impact of Kush, a synthetic drug increasingly affecting young people in the country.
“The psychiatric hospital says drug consumption among young people has increased by more than 4,000 percent in the country,” Konneh said.
“And according to tests conducted, the new substance now being used in Kush is nitazene, a product fifty times more powerful than fentanyl. This makes Kush the most addictive drug in Sierra Leone, and it is severely affecting the youth.”
But the opposition says the government is sidestepping the central issue.
Abdul Kargbo, the opposition leader in Parliament, has written to President Julius Maada Bio accusing the authorities of remaining silent while the country’s international image suffers.
“We must not remain silent while the image of our country is being damaged,” Kargbo said. “We have seen no proactive measures from the government, and the danger is that silence or insufficient responses from the authorities could reinforce internationally the idea that Sierra Leone risks becoming a narco-state.”
The controversy has intensified concerns about the country’s reputation amid increasing international scrutiny over narcotics trafficking routes in West Africa.
Authorities contacted over the matter said the government is treating the case “very seriously.” However, after issuing an initial statement over the weekend, officials have declined further public interviews, citing an ongoing investigation.
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