That cocaine again.

Courtesy: Foday M. Ceesay and The Sierra Leone Daily Mail

														
Interpol Helps Sierra Leone Police Discover A 40 Foot Container Stuffed with Cocaine
																								
											17th December 2011															   ·   0 Comments									
				

Photo: Crack (Rock) Cocaine Wrapped for Distribution.
 
A high level intelligence  tip by Interpol has helped Sierra Leone Criminal Investigation Department (CID) discover and arrest  a 40 foot container filled with Cocaine at Sierra Leone’s National Shipping  Port, Queen Elizabeth the  II Quay in the country’s capital of Freetown.  It is also reported that the owner or owners of the container which originated from the UK  work for one of the major companies operating in Sierra Leone with a duty free concession.  It is estimated that the quantity of the cocaine could reach hundreds of kilograms because it is compressed in the container.
 
In 2008 a small Cessna private airplane landed at the Lungi International Airport from Venezuela carrying over 700 kilograms of cocaine. The arrest of the plane caused H.E. President Koromas to relieve his former minister of Transport and Aviation and current Chairman of All People’s Congress (APC) party in the Port Loko District, Alhaji Ibrahim Kemoh Sesay of his duties as minister.   Hon. Kemoh Sesay was investigated by the FBI, UK’s MI 6, Office of National Security (ONS) and the Sierra Leone Police but he was not  indited.    The Hon. Minister was later reappointed as Special Adviser to the President.
 
In July 17 of 2008 the Transport and aviation minister Kemoh Sesay admitted that the  key suspect in the cocaine investigation, Mohamed Sesay is his relative.  However, the Hon. Kemoh Sesay made it clear that he knew nothing about the cocaine or the landing of the airplane.   Mr. Mohamed Sesay was later found guilty of cocaine trafficking and is currently serving a prison sentence in connection with the infamous Cocaine plane landing.   The small airplane was confiscated by the Sierra Leone government.
 
Interpol is the shortened form of the International Criminal Police Organization which is headquartered in France.   They serve as liaison for almost 200 police departments around the world.  Interpol cannot make arrest but they can provide intelligence for the arrest of criminals who engage in drug trafficking, terrorism, gun smuggling, auto thefts and other crimes across country borders.  They maintain one of the largest databases of unsolved crimes around the world.
 
Smuggling Cocaine into Sierra Leone began in 1992 after Captain Valentine Strasser  and the  current SLPP Flag-bearer  Juliius Maada Bio and their  National Provisional Ruling Council introduced the illicit trade in the small West African nation.   After the young inexperienced soldiers in their twenties overthrew, the government of late president Momoh, Sierra Leone’s National Treasury became like candy store for them.  After the emptied the national treasury, they turned to the Cocaine trade to make quick money.
 
When the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) took over the reigns of power, some of the NPRC operatives who crossed over to the new civilian government continued the illegal cocaine trafficking as the government of Ahmad Tejan Kabba turned a blind eye.   The same group of criminals attempted to legitimize and continue the business in the new administration but president Koroma,  the new president would not encourage such a trade.
 
Cocaine is one of the most powerfully addictive drugs of abuse in the world.   It is the second most commonly used illicit drug in the United States. Anyone who tries cocaine for the first time most likely may not be able to stop using it.  Cocaine comes form the coca plant which is found mostly in South America, Afghanistan and other countries.   It stimulates the body’s central nervous system when it is injected, snorted or sniffed.  It creates a strong sense of exhilaration were users feel invincible, care free, alert and have a lot of energy.  The drug is so dangerous that it may cause cardiac arrest or seizures, respiratory failure and of course death.


Photo:  Side Effects of Long-term Cocaine Use.
While Cocaine is not a popular drug of choice in Sierra Leone, some unscrupulous NPRC and SLPP political leaders started  using the small West African nation as a  transit point for distribution around the world since 1992. Sierra Leone was once used as a transit point for the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade, this time, if the international community and the government of Sierra Leone do not double their efforts in curbing this destructive and illegal trade, the small nation could serve as a permanent distribution center that could destroy the citizens of Western Nations that benefited from the Atlantic Slave Trade.
This press doubts very much whether the cocaine shipment originated from the United Kingdom where Interpol and other international police agencies are active and vigilant.  It would be reasonable to suspect that the shipment originated from South America where the Cocaine arrested in 2008 also originated.   This press will continue to follow this story to find out whether the container was actually loaded, inspected and shipped from United Kingdom


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