By: Audrey Raymonda John
Justice Mark Ngegba of the High Court in Freetown on Wednesday, 21 January 2026, sentenced two Liberian nationals to 35 years’ imprisonment each after they pleaded guilty to offences relating to the dealing in and transportation of the prohibited drug tramadol from Kenema to Koidu Town.
The convicted persons, Annet Maflah and Lovetta Maflah, were charged on four counts, including unlawful possession of drugs contrary to Section 8(a) of the National Drug Control Act, 2008 (Act No. 10 of 2008), dealing in prohibited drugs contrary to Section 7(a), and transportation of prohibited drugs without lawful authority.
According to the indictment, the defendants were on 16 November 2025 at Koidu Town in the Kono District, Eastern Province, found in possession of 2,130 tablets of tramadol, weighing 20.4 kilograms, without lawful authority. It was further stated that on the same date, they unlawfully transported the said tramadol from Kenema to Koidu Town.
When the charges were read and explained to them, both defendants pleaded guilty.
During plea mitigation, the unrepresented defendants told the court that they had not wasted the court’s time by contesting the charges. The second defendant, Lovetta Maflah, further informed the court that she was six months pregnant and pleaded for leniency.
In delivering his ruling, Justice Ngegba stated that while he had taken note of the defendants’ personal circumstances, he could not overlook the devastating impact of drug trafficking on society, particularly on young people.
“While I note their specific circumstances, I cannot lose sight of the fact that drugs have destroyed our youth and society,” the judge said.
He therefore sentenced both the first and second defendants to a maximum term of 35 years’ imprisonment on all four counts, with the sentences to run concurrently.