By: Audrey Raymonda John
Alie Kamara, a 28-year-old trader, has been committed to stand trial at the High Court by Magistrate Mustapha Braima Jah of Pademba Road Court No. 1.
Kamara was arraigned on a single count of possession of prohibited drugs without lawful authority, contrary to Section 8(a) of the National Drug Control Act of 2008.
The police allege that on Saturday, 22nd June 2024, at Culvert, off Race Course Road in Freetown, Kamara was found in possession of 80 wraps of a substance suspected to be kush (cannabis) without lawful authority.
State Prosecutor A.B.N. Taylor Kamara led evidence from ASP Joseph Stevens, a forensic analyst attached to the Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU), who testified as an expert witness.
ASP Stevens explained that his duties include analyzing drugs and other chemical substances submitted for forensic examination. He recalled that on Thursday, 4th July 2024, Detective Sergeant Mohamed Kandeh from the Ross Road Police Station submitted a request to analyze 80 wraps of a dry leaf substance, suspected to be cannabis sativa (commonly known as “kush”). The evidence, weighing 60.4 grams, was allegedly seized from the accused.
The witness testified that he conducted a presumptive test in the accused’s presence, followed by a comprehensive laboratory examination. This included chemical and microscopic crystal analyses, which confirmed the substance was cannabis sativa.
A forensic report dated 9th July 2024 was produced, signed, and tendered in court as Exhibit E1–2.
The defendant was given the opportunity to cross-examine the witness but declined, stating he had no questions.
The prosecution subsequently submitted that a prima facie case had been established against the accused, sufficient to warrant a trial, and urged the court to commit the matter to the High Court.
In his ruling, Magistrate Jah agreed that the prosecution had established a prima facie case. He therefore committed Alie Kamara to the High Court for trial and ordered that he be remanded in custody pending his appearance there.
In his ruling, Magistrate Jah agreed that the prosecution had met the threshold for a prima facie case. He therefore committed Alie Kamara to the High Court for trial and ordered that he be remanded in custody until his appearance there.