The leader of Sierra Leone’s main opposition party has raised serious concerns over alleged links between the country and international drug trafficking networks following a major cocaine seizure off the Atlantic Ocean.
Abdulai Kargbo, head of the All People’s Congress (APC), wrote an open letter to President Julius Maada Bio expressing alarm over growing reports connecting the country to organised crime operations.
His concerns follow the interception of a vessel carrying large quantities of cocaine that had departed from Freetown.
Spanish authorities recently announced the seizure of 30 tonnes of cocaine valued at approximately $700 million from a Comoros-flagged ship intercepted in the Atlantic Ocean. The vessel was reportedly en route to the Mediterranean Sea after leaving Sierra Leone’s capital.
Authorities confirmed the arrest of 23 suspects, including nationals from the Philippines, the Netherlands, and Suriname, as investigations continue into the trafficking network behind the shipment.
Sierra Leonean officials have since launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the departure of the vessel and its alleged connection to the country.
In his letter, Kargbo said he was acting out of “profound concern and a deep sense of patriotic duty,” warning of “alarming and repeated international reports” linking Sierra Leone to narcotics trafficking.
He also expressed concern that the vessel’s ability to leave the country undetected raised “serious fears” about possible institutional weaknesses or external influence.
“The fact that a heavily armed vessel allegedly connected to international organised crime networks was able to depart Sierra Leonean territory undetected creates serious fears,” he wrote.
Kargbo further suggested that the situation could damage Sierra Leone’s international reputation if not properly addressed.
Attention has also turned to the presence of Dutch fugitive Jos Leijdekkers in Sierra Leone in recent months.
Leijdekkers, one of Europe’s most wanted drug traffickers, was previously convicted in absentia by a Rotterdam court in 2024 to 24 years in prison for large-scale cocaine trafficking and ordering a murder.
Reports of his alleged interactions with high-ranking officials in Sierra Leone have sparked further scrutiny, though no formal charges have been made locally in relation to his presence.
International monitoring groups, including the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, have long identified West Africa as a key transit hub for cocaine trafficked from Latin America to European markets.
The unfolding developments have intensified debate in Sierra Leone over border security, governance oversight, and the country’s vulnerability to transnational organised crime.
