FREETOWN/LUNGI, Sierra Leone — A Sierra Leone High Court has sentenced a woman to 35 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of cocaine, in one of the country’s stiffest penalties aimed at deterring drug trafficking.
Justice Khalilah Diana Kamara handed down the sentence to Hawa Dukuly after convicting her under the National Drugs Control Act of 2008. Prosecutors said Dukuly was found in possession of 800.4 grams of cocaine without lawful authority on June 11, 2025, in Lungi, in the country’s northwestern region.
Dukuly pleaded guilty when the charge was read to her during her arraignment.
In mitigation, defence counsel asked the court to show leniency, arguing that the convict was a mother of two and the family’s principal caregiver. The judge said the court had considered both the guilty plea and the submissions made on her behalf.
“Taking into consideration the nature of the offence, the guilty plea of the convict and the plea in mitigation cannot mitigate the gravity and enormity of the offence committed,” Justice Kamara said in her ruling.
She said Sierra Leone was at a critical moment in its fight against illegal drugs and that the courts must send a strong and unambiguous message.
“The national fight against the narcotics pandemic calls for a clear, decisive and firm response,” she said, adding that deterrence was a key principle of sentencing.
Justice Kamara ordered that the cocaine seized from Dukuly be destroyed by the relevant authorities in the presence of approved and verifiable witnesses. She also directed that a certificate confirming the destruction be filed with the court within seven working days after the exercise is completed.
Sierra Leone has in recent years stepped up enforcement against drug trafficking and possession, as authorities seek to curb the growing impact of narcotics on public health and national security.
By Feima Sesay
