A High Court judge sitting in the Kambia Judicial District has sentenced Mohamed Yillah to 60 years’ imprisonment for unlawfully keeping prohibited drugs, warning that drug abuse continues to cause serious public health harm to young people in Sierra Leone.
Justice Sahr Elogima Kekura, the Port Loko Resident High Court Judge covering the district, handed down the sentence on Tuesday after Yillah pleaded guilty to multiple drug-related offences under the National Drugs Control Act of 2008 and the Drugs and Substance Abuse Public Emergency Regulations of 2024.
Yillah was among three defendants arraigned before the High Court on a total of 15 counts, including unlawful possession, selling and keeping of prohibited drugs.
According to court records, Yillah was arrested on Nov. 8, 2025, at Bamoi Luma in Magbema Chiefdom, Kambia District, where he was found selling 17.5 grams of cannabis sativa without lawful authority. He was also found in possession of a black rubber bucket containing a loose quantity of dried cannabis leaves.
The second defendant, Foday Ali Kamara, was found on the same date and location in possession of 294.5 grams of cannabis sativa without lawful authority, while the third defendant, Ibrahim Kamara, was found selling 36.5 grams of the drug.
In addressing the court, Justice Kekura said the rampant abuse of drugs had caused significant public health damage, particularly among productive youth, and had contributed to social breakdown within communities.
In delivering judgment, the judge said the court had taken into account Yillah’s guilty plea, his allocutus, and mitigation submissions made on his behalf. Yillah pleaded guilty to counts one, two, three, seven, eight and nine.
Justice Kekura sentenced Yillah to five years’ imprisonment on each of counts one, two and three, and 15 years’ imprisonment on each of counts seven, eight and nine. The court ordered the sentences to run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of 60 years.
On count ten, Kamara pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment.
Proceedings on the remaining counts against the defendants were adjourned to Feb. 4, 2026, for continuation of trial.
By Larry Fofana
