Sewa News Stream

Thursday's newspapers from Sierra Leone report that Maada Bio's daughter is the hidden force behind the wall of steel protecting Jos Liejdekkers, a Dutch fugitive described as a drug baron who is wreaking havoc on the country. According to Kamarainba Mansaray, who reportedly met with Dutch journalists, Liejdekkers allegedly used bribery to entice government officials, ensuring his security even after the Dutch government requested that Sierra Leone extradite him. The newspaper confirms that there is no extradition treaty between the two countries. Mansaray also asserted that Liejdekkers has significant financial interests in both Sierra Leone and the United States.

  A vehicle traveling from Sierra Leone to Monrovia through Lofa County was intercepted this week by the Joint Security of Foya District, led by the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA). Acting on a tip-off, the LDEA-led team stopped the vehicle and escorted it to the Foya Police Station for a detailed inspection. The street value of the significant drug shipment is estimated at $77,200. According to FrontPage Africa , on the night of March 17 at around 10:45 PM, the Joint Security team received information about a black pickup truck with a Liberian license plate transporting narcotics. Upon interception, the driver initially claimed to be transporting clothes and slippers for sale. However, a thorough search revealed 772 plates of high-grade marijuana, valued at approximately $77,200 (14,668,000 Liberian dollars), as well as eight boxes of Tramadol worth an additional 160,000 Liberian dollars. The driver was immediately arrested and is currently under investigation. He is expect...

 

On March 6, Dutch Minister of Justice David van Weel announced on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he had a conversation with his colleague, Alpha Sesay, Sierra Leone's Attorney General and Minister of Justice. A significant topic of discussion was the Dutch extradition request for Jos Leijdekkers , who is wanted for serious crimes. Van Weel noted strong indications that Leijdekkers is currently in Sierra Leone. He emphasized that discussions like these are vital for combating transnational organized crime. Thomas Dixon , a Sierra Leonean journalist, reported that Maada Bio has relieved Alusine Kanneh of his position as head of the immigration service after a video surfaced showing Kanneh partying with Leijdekkers, who is known as Omar Sherriff in Sierra Leone. A bulletin from Emmanuel Gaima, secretary to the president in Sierra Leone, announced that Moses Tiffa Baio has been appointed as the new Chief Immigration Officer, effective March 7. An article on FTM published on March 7...

  A new report released Tuesday by an anti-transnational crime group has identified the core chemical components of kush. This synthetic drug has swept through Sierra Leone and the region in the past few years. The report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime conducted the first known testing of the most common varieties of kush available in Sierra Leone and neighboring West African countries. The research confirms that kush is composed of synthetic opioids, some of which are 25 times stronger than fentanyl, and synthetic cannabinoids commonly found in European drug markets. Nitazenes are deadly synthetic opioids that have spread across global retail drug markets, including European countries, particularly since 2022, the report reads. One of the nitazenes detected in Kush is 25 times more potent than fentanyl. One of the report's authors described the path that Kush is taking to arrive in West Africa in a statement to the international press. Increasingl...

Hawa Hunt is being held indefinitely in Sierra Leone, as there has been no trial or court appearance since December 2024.  This week, David Pratt, a former defense minister in Canada and the honorary consul of Sierra Leone for over a decade, submitted a letter of resignation in protest to Sierra Leone's High Commissioner to Canada. In his resignation letter , dated February 19, 2025 , the former consul expressed deep concern about the continued detention of Hawa Hunt, a Canadian citizen born in Sierra Leone. Hawa was jailed for old social media posts criticizing Maada Bio and his wife. Since her arrest, she has not been seen except for a live television appearance, during which she was forced to apologize shortly after her detention.  According to the Calgary Herald , which reported the honorary consul's resignation in protest, multiple bail requests have been denied.  Last week, Dutch journalist Sophie van Leeuwen was also detained briefly in Sierra Leone while she was ...