The presence of a container highly guarded by armed troops and policemen on the streets of Freetown, which is said to contain narcotics as well as counterfeits of the new Leones freshly introduced by the government earlier this month, is now creating waves on social media. There are several theories concerning the contents of the unusual container in issue, with some alleging that drugs may be inside. According to reports, the cited 40-foot container came aboard a cargo vessel called SEASPAN LOGA and is now stationed at Kingtom Police Mess under intense surveillance.
Interestingly, some sources claim to have reasons to suspect that the container in question is from a state in Brazil’s southern region, yet somehow the ship hauling the container transited in Morocco before departing for Freetown eight (8) days later.
More so, sources also believe that the container left Brazil on a separate ship called CGM, but was then transferred to another ship in Morocco, which subsequently delivered the much-discussed container to Freetown, Sierra Leone.
According to social media, authorities have made multiple arrests of persons (some of them Ghanaians) accused of being involved in some manner to the now-infamous container. But what struck me the most was the tremendous level of patriotism displayed by Sierra Leoneans in their efforts to learn about what was going on. At the time of writing, some journalists and representatives of civil society groups are still on the ground at the Kingtom Police Mess.
If the allegations made by members of the general public are proven to be true, many questions will need to be answered, and those involved should be held accountable. Section 7 (b) of the National Drugs Control Act of 2008 states that “any person who, without lawful permission, gathers, transports, imports, exports, transships, or transmits any prohibited drug commits an offence and is liable on conviction to life imprisonment.” Hence, If the aforementioned individuals are found guilty of committing such an offence, they may face life behind bars.
The massive influx of narcotics such as Tramadol and the Cannabis indica strain, popularly known as “kush,” is rapidly killing our youths and ruining the lives of our future leaders, since the majority of them have become drug addicts. This, in turn, leads to a high crime rate and mortality in the country. This is why it is critical that those responsible for the circulation of such dangerous narcotics in the country be held accountable.
We will keep you updated on any further developments.
