A High Court in Sierra Leone has handed down one of the country’s most severe narcotics sentences, condemning a 37-year-old South African woman to a cumulative 130 years in prison for smuggling cocaine.
Presiding Judge, Honourable Justice Andrew S.C. Johnson, found the convict, Asandra Denise, guilty on all five counts of a drug-related indictment following a high-profile trial that underscores the West African nation’s aggressive crackdown on international drug cartels.
Denise, a resident of Nenvonds in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, was apprehended by security operatives at the Freetown International Airport in Lungi. Upon her arrest, authorities discovered 365 pellets of compressed cocaine hidden in her possession. The intercepted contraband weighed approximately 5.4 kilograms.
The Charges and Trial
The state arraigned Denise on a five-count indictment that included:
- Unlawful possession of prohibited drugs
- Dealing in prohibited drugs
- Collecting prohibited drugs
- Importing prohibited drugs
- Transporting prohibited drugs
The prosecution anchored its case on Sections 8(a) and 7(b) and (c) of Sierra Leone’s National Drugs Control Act, 2008.
While Denise maintained a “not guilty” plea throughout the trial, her defense counsel, Ibrahim Samba Esq., presented no defense witnesses, choosing instead to rely entirely on the statements his client made to the police during initial interrogations.
Conversely, the prosecution, led by I.A. Kamara Esq., presented an airtight case backed by forensic science. State witness Joseph Lahai, a forensic toxicologist, testified that laboratory analysis of sample exhibits conclusively identified the substance as Cocaine Hydrochloride. Before closing the case, the prosecution successfully tendered the ex-officio information directly from the Attorney General, satisfying Section 153(b) of the newly enacted Criminal Procedure Act, 2024.
The Judgment
In his final ruling, Justice Johnson declared that the prosecution had proven its case beyond any reasonable doubt. He described the state’s witnesses as credible and consistent, noting that their testimonies remained unshaken under intense cross-examination.
”A mere denial by the accused is entirely insufficient to rebut the overwhelming weight of the evidence presented by the state,” Justice Johnson ruled.
The court broken down the 130-year total sentence as follows:
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- Count 1 (Possession): 10 years
- Count 2 (Dealing): 30 years
- Count 3 (Collecting): 30 years
- Count 4 (Importing): 30 years
- Count 5 (Transporting): 30 years
Final Orders
Despite the daunting cumulative figure, Denise will not spend more than three decades behind bars. Justice Johnson ordered the sentences to run concurrently, meaning she will serve the maximum single sentence of 30 years, with credit given for time already spent in custody during the trial.
The court concluded by ordering the immediate forfeiture of the 5.4 kilograms of cocaine to the state. Justice Johnson directed that the narcotic substances be publicly destroyed under the strict supervision of relevant environmental and law enforcement authorities.
