The Sierra Leone government has confirmed the seizure of an official embassy vehicle in Guinea, discovered with a substance suspected to be cocaine. The incident has sparked an investigation and raised diplomatic tensions between the two West African nations.
Foreign Affairs Minister Timothy Musa Kabba revealed during a press briefing on Thursday that Guinean authorities intercepted the vehicle on December 31, 2024. The vehicle, carrying two occupants—a driver and a passenger—contained seven suitcases suspected to hold cocaine, alongside phones and $2,000 in cash.
Minister Kabba clarified that the vehicle in question was a utility car not assigned to any specific official. He also emphasized that Sierra Leone’s ambassador to Guinea, Alimamy Bangura, is not under detention but has been recalled to Freetown for questioning.
“The vehicle arrested is a utility vehicle of the embassy and not the official vehicle of the ambassador,” Kabba stated, adding that the head of chancery at the embassy, who reportedly issued clearance for the vehicle, has also been summoned.
The government stressed that no evidence has yet linked the ambassador to the drug trafficking incident. “The government of Sierra Leone is collaborating with Guinean authorities to verify the facts, and anyone found guilty of breaking Sierra Leonean and international drug trafficking laws will face the full force of the law,” Kabba affirmed.
This scandal comes just weeks after a diplomatic dispute between Sierra Leone and Guinea. The tension arose from the deportation of over 200 Sierra Leoneans from Guinea following a security crackdown in Conakry aimed at combating drugs and crime.
The deportations led to a border standoff and accusations of retaliatory actions targeting Guineans in Sierra Leone, which the Sierra Leonean government denied.
Drug and substance abuse remain critical challenges for Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia, with each country often blaming its neighbors for the crisis. Liberia has frequently accused Sierra Leone and Guinea of fueling its drug problems, underscoring the complex regional dynamics of the issue.
