AYV News, December 17, 2025
Ghetto Reforms Activist and Kush Survivor, Prince Jose Reffell, has made a grave allegation against the Sierra Leone Police (the country’s Force For Good), accusing some of its personnel of reselling illegal drugs, especially Kush seized from peddlers, to Kush victims and users.
Speaking exclusively to AYV, Reffell said, “We used to buy Kush from personnel of the Sierra Leone Police. When they conduct raids in ghettos, they seize the Kush and other drugs found, and they usually invite me to assess the quality of the drugs. After I did, they will now resell it to the drug users.”
Reffell’s accusation against the police was supported by Dr Julius Spencer, former Minister of Information in Sierra Leone. He said it is no secret that some police personnel are intensively involved in the sale of Kush across the country, adding that even in prisons, illegal drugs are brought in for sale to prisoners.
Dr. Spencer went on to state that there are some bad police personnel who are strong users of these illegal drugs.
On the issue of illegal drug control in the homes, Dr Spencer blamed bad parenting, stating, “Anybody blaming the current government for being responsible for this drug epidemic in Sierra Leone is missing it. There has been a decline in parenting, and many parents no longer check on their kids as they once did. Poverty level and the cheapness of most of the illegal drugs, especially Kush, and social pressure among young people are other factors responsible.”
Minister of Health, Dr. Austin Demby, speaking with AYV’s Wake Up Sierra Leone on the evaluation of the country’s healthcare system, successes, and challenges and the fight against Kush said the government has taken several significant, multi-pronged actions to address the Kush crisis, which President Julius Maada Bio has declared a public health emergency, adding that the measures have been focusing on law enforcement, judicial reform, rehabilitation, and community engagement.
The minister recalled that in April 2024, President Bio officially declared a national emergency on drug abuse to mobilise a coordinated response across all sectors of society. A National Task Force on Drug and Substance Abuse was established to coordinate the national response, led by the National Public Health Agency (NPHA).
Also, the minister said a dedicated Special Fund was created to finance interventions across prevention, care and treatment, law enforcement, and community engagement efforts.
“A dedicated Special Court is being established to fast-track drug-related cases, with designated judges and magistrates to ensure swift justice. The government is reviewing existing legislation to introduce harsher penalties, including potential prison sentences of up to 15 years for traffickers and the seizure of assets acquired through illegal drug proceeds,” he said, adding, “The Chief Justice has been directed to issue a new practice direction for consistent and tougher sentencing in drug cases”.
A Special Security Unit, comprising personnel from the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), has been formed to conduct targeted, full-scale raids on known drug hotspots and make immediate arrests nationwide.
The government emphasises treating addiction as a public health issue rather than purely a criminal one, with a focus on rehabilitation and reintegration.
Existing rehabilitation facilities, such as the one at the Peace Mission Training Centre (PMTC) in Hastings, are being utilised and expanded, with plans for new centres in Bo, Daru, and Makeni.
