The Sierra Leone Police have dismissed reports of a missing shipping container, clarifying that the container and its illegal contents were lawfully seized and destroyed following standard procedures.
In a statement issued this week, police said the container — a 40-foot unit bearing registration number TCNU 1723946 and marked “Triton International” — was intercepted on 13 May 2025 by the Combined Maritime Control Unit (CMCU), part of the SEACOP Project, at Queen Elizabeth II Quay in Freetown.
During the operation, officers reportedly discovered seventeen 50kg bags of Kush and ninety-one bottles of precursor chemicals inside the container, which had originated from Southampton, United Kingdom.
According to police, the CMCU conducted a full physical inspection to identify materials of security concern. Items deemed relevant to the investigation were documented by the Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU), while personal belongings found in the shipment were separated and secured in a different container.
Authorities said the container holding the seized drugs was then sealed, and a Destruction Order was requested from the Director of Public Prosecutions. The order was later approved and presented to the TOCU Management Board, which set 31 July 2025 as the date for disposal.
“The authorised destruction exercise was carried out at the TOCU headquarters in Hastings,” the statement read. “All seized narcotics, including those recovered from the container in question, were destroyed in accordance with established procedures.”
The clarification follows social media reports suggesting that a seized container had gone missing, fuelling public speculation about the handling of drug-related evidence. Police officials have urged the public to “rely on verified information” and reiterated their commitment to transparency and accountability in ongoing anti-narcotics operations.
