By Musa Paul Feika

Third Prosecution witness in an on-going trial in a magistrate court in Freetown, Detective Sergeant Buya Abu Kamara has tendered several Tramadols and 389 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be kush in evidence.

Led in evidence by Assistant Superintendent of Police, Osman Bangura, witness started his testimony by telling the court his duties which include receiving all exhibits relating to matters under police investigation and tendering them in court when requested to do so.

He recalled 12th August 2023 and recognised the accused in the dock.

He went on to state that he was on duty at Ross Road Police Station when Detective Sergeant Alie Saio of the same police station handed over to him seven cards of tramadols, 389 wraps of dried leaves suspected to be ‘kush,’ 17 packets of cigarette papers, seven scissors, ten cards of tramadols, 16 tramadols and a NLe21, 650 (twenty-one thousand, six hundred and fifty Leones) in Sierra Leone currency.

Upon receipt of the items, he went on, he registered them in the court Exhibit Book with serial number 157/2023, and that they had been in custody not until yesterday when he tendered them in evidence.

During cross examination by defence counsel, Alie Santos Sesay who represents the first accused, Mohamed Colo Bah, asked the witness when the exhibits were handed over to him.

In response, Kamara said they were entrusted to him on 12th June, this year.

Counsel Sesay put it to the witness that the exhibits were identified to him which he answered in the affirmative.

He also challenged the police witness that that in his evidence in chief, he told the court that exhibits “B” were kush, a question to which  witness responded that based on  “expert opinion” he came to the conclusion that the said exhibit was ‘kush.’

Further questions were subsequently asked by defence counsel to which the witness responded.

Defence counsel however made bail application which was turned down by the court.

The accused, Mohamed Colo Bah and three others appeared before the court for unlawful possession and other related offences contrary to section 8 (a) of the National Drugs Act 2008.

Police charge sheet indicated that Bah, on Tuesday 8th August, 2023 at No.88 Thunder Hill Road, Kissy Freetown, was found in possession of certain wraps of dried leaves suspected to be ‘kush.’

Records also showed that the second accused, Alfred Coker was found in possession of 164 wraps of substance suspected to be ‘kush’and the third accused had 16 tablets suspected to be tramadols.

The matter comes up on 28th September.