By: Audrey Raymonda John
Detective Police Constable 1503, Musa Maju, on Wednesday, 14 January 2026, testified before Justice Mark Ngegba at the High Court in a case involving James Kamara, who is standing trial for the unlawful possession of 3.5 kilograms of kush.
The accused is charged with one count of Unlawful Possession of Drugs, contrary to Section 8(a) of the National Drug Control Act, 2008 (Act No. 10 of 2008).
According to the indictment, the defendant, on 25 July 2025, at Bo in the Southern Province, was found in possession of 3.5 kilograms of kush without lawful authority.
In his testimony, Detective Constable Musa Maju stated that he is attached to the Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU). He said he recognized the defendant and recalled that on 29 July 2025, while on duty at TOCU, Crime Officer Detective Inspector Steven Alpha Turay handed over to him three and a half black plastic-wrapped substances suspected to be kush, along with a transfer case, inquiry file, and the defendant, for further investigation.
The inquiry file, he said, contained voluntary caution statements from the defendant and the arresting officer’s report. The voluntary caution statements of the defendant were produced and tendered in court as Exhibits C1–C5, while the arresting officer’s report was tendered as Exhibits D1–D2.
The witness further testified that on the same date, he and Detective Inspector Steven Alpha Turay again obtained voluntary caution statements from the defendant, strictly observing the Judges’ Rules. These statements were produced and tendered as Exhibits E1–E2.
He said the exhibits were later handed over to the crime writer, and a request was sent to the forensic analyst to ascertain whether the substance was a prohibited drug.
Detective Constable Maju told the court that on 3 August 2025, he and other crime officers, together with the defendant, proceeded to the defendant’s residence at No. 8 Magazine Cut Grass Field, Freetown, to execute a search warrant. However, nothing of police interest was found during the search. The search warrant was tendered and marked as Exhibits F1–F2.
On 5 August 2025, the witness said he received the forensic analyst’s report, after which the case file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice. He added that on 8 August 2025, he received a directive from the DPP’s office to charge the defendant, which he did. The charge statement was tendered and marked as Exhibits G1-G3 respectively.
At the conclusion of his testimony, defense counsel Madieu Sesay applied for an adjournment to enable him to cross-examine the witness. The application was granted by the court.
The matter was adjourned to 19 January 2026, while the defendant was remanded in custody.