Sierra Leone is coming under renewed scrutiny over its growing role in West Africa’s cocaine trafficking routes and the expanding threat of synthetic drugs, illicit mining and human trafficking, according to the ENACT Africa Organised Crime Index released in November 2025.
The report places the country at a critical junction of regional trafficking flows, warning that criminal networks are increasingly exploiting maritime routes through the Gulf of Guinea to move cocaine shipments bound for Europe, with destinations frequently including Antwerp and Brussels.
It comes at a time of heightened public attention inside Sierra Leone, where drug-related controversies involving public figures, former officials and entertainers have intensified national debate, even as most cases remain at the level of allegations, arrests or ongoing investigations rather than confirmed convictions.
One of the most politically sensitive cases involved former Chief Immigration Officer Alusine Kamneh, who was dismissed in March 2025 following media reports and public controversy linking him to alleged interactions with Dutch fugitive cocaine suspect Jos Leijdekkers. The dismissal fuelled debate over possible exposure of state institutions to transnational criminal networks, although no criminal conviction has been recorded against him.
In the entertainment sector, musician Natasha Beckley was declared wanted by police in October 2025 over allegations of narcotic drug possession. Authorities also linked a property associated with her to a suspected kush-processing site. She was later granted bail while investigations continued, with no confirmed conviction recorded in court documents.
Another case that drew regional attention involved musician Alonso Abasi, who was arrested in August 2025 at the Sierra Leone–Liberia border on suspicion of possessing synthetic drugs, including Methcathinone. The arrest formed part of a wider cross-border investigation into drug trafficking networks, although available records do not show a confirmed conviction.
On social media, TikTok personality Juju Jeks and an individual identified as Blazer were also drawn into controversy after leaked chats circulated online suggesting possible drug-related discussions. These claims remain unverified, with no formal charges or court rulings confirming criminal involvement.
The developments unfold against a worsening domestic drug crisis, particularly the spread of kush, a synthetic drug linked to addiction, mental health breakdowns and rising deaths among young people. Authorities have stepped up enforcement operations alongside public health interventions targeting trafficking and street-level distribution networks.
President Julius Maada Bio’s government has taken a hardline position, declaring the drug crisis a national security and public health emergency. Officials have intensified crackdowns through the Transnational Organised Crime Unit, expanded border surveillance, and reported dozens of drug-related convictions linked to kush, cocaine, cannabis and tramadol. The administration has framed its response as an effort to dismantle organised criminal networks and protect young people from addiction and exploitation.
However, international assessments, including ENACT, continue to warn of institutional vulnerabilities, citing risks linked to corruption and “state-embedded actors,” though without establishing specific judicial findings of systemic wrongdoing.
Against this backdrop, Sierra Leone was assigned a criminality score of 5.42 out of 10, ranking 25th out of 54 African countries and eighth in West Africa.
The report highlights a sharp rise in cocaine trafficking, scoring 7.5, and describes Sierra Leone as a key logistics and redistribution hub in the region. The synthetic drug market also scored 7.0, driven by the spread of substances such as tramadol and kush-type narcotics, while non-renewable resource crimes were similarly rated at 7.0, reflecting concerns over illicit mining and mineral smuggling.
Sierra Leone also remains a source, transit and destination country for human trafficking, with victims subjected to forced labour, domestic servitude and sexual exploitation, particularly in mining communities.
Researchers further flagged concerns over criminal influence within institutions, with the country scoring 8.0 for state-embedded actors, indicating heightened vulnerability to corruption risks, though without attributing individual criminal liability.
Despite these challenges, the country’s resilience score stood at 4.04, suggesting limited but functioning capacity to respond, with stronger performance in international cooperation and anti-money laundering frameworks, but weaker outcomes in judicial efficiency and governance transparency.
Across West Africa, the 2025 Index concludes that organised crime is expanding faster than state responses, with coastal states like Sierra Leone increasingly exposed to evolving transnational trafficking networks.
