By: Tamba Steven Komba
Tonkolili, Mile 91,13th November 2025- In a tense courtroom at Mile 91, the quiet hum of proceedings broke into a heavy silence as His Worship Magistrate Harold Kamara delivered a decisive ruling, Hawanatu Kamara, a young woman from Mathoir Town, was to be committed to the High Court to stand trial for the alleged possession of eighty-three (83) wraps of Kush, a locally known variant of opium.
The ruling, handed down on November 10, 2025, sent ripples through the Tonkolili Judicial District, where the fight against drug-related crimes continues to intensify.
According to court records, Hawanatu Kamara was arrested on November 6, 2025, during a raid conducted by officers from the Mile 91 Police Station at Mathoir Town in Yoni Mamaila Chiefdom. The prosecution, led by Sub Inspector I.F. Bangura Esq., alleged that Kamara was found in possession of the illicit substance “without lawful authority,” a clear violation of Section 8(a) of the National Drugs Control Act of 2008.
The courtroom heard that during the raid, Detective Sergeant 4676 Koroma F.T. reported finding the drugs “hidden under her pant, neatly packed in a plastic bag.” Moreover, the defendant’s own voluntary cautioned statement, tendered as Exhibit C1-C5, revealed that she admitted possession, claiming, “It was my husband who gave it to me to hold for him.”
Magistrate Kamara, after reviewing all exhibits, from the arrest reports (A1–A3, B1–B2) to the physical evidence (F1–F83), ruled that “the prosecution has adduced sufficient evidence establishing more than a prima facie case to be answered by the defendant.”
Consequently, Hawanatu Kamara was remanded at the Moyamba Correctional Center, pending trial at the High Court. As the gavel fell, Magistrate Kamara’s words resonated through the packed courtroom: “Justice must take its course, and the law must stand firm against the scourge of prohibited drugs.”
The case of Hawanatu Kamara now moves to the High Court, where the next chapter in this gripping legal drama will unfold, one that highlights both the growing drug menace and Sierra Leone’s determination to uphold justice.
