VZCZCXRO6370
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHFN #0430/01 3061549
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021549Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2961
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 FREETOWN 000430 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INL (JLYLE), AF/W (JHUNTER) 
ACCRA FOR DOJ/DEA (JBREEDEN) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL SL
SUBJECT: SIERRA LEONE INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS CONTROL 
STRATEGY REPORT 
 
REF: STATE 97230 
 
¶1. Please see the following draft of the Sierra Leone 
2009-2010 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, 
keyed to reftel: 
 
2) Summary 
 
Sierra Leone has taken steps to combat illicit trafficking of 
narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and has mounted 
efforts against drug abuse.  It has limited enforcement, 
treatment, and rehabilitation programs; however, corruption 
and a lack of resources seriously impede interdiction 
efforts.  The 2008 seizure of over 700kg of cocaine 
culminated in a criminal court case that ended this year, but 
many believe that this demonstration of Sierra Leone's rule 
of law has not been a deterrent to traffickers.  However, 
overall Sierra Leone made limited efforts to combat the drug 
flow in 2009, hampered by resource issues and limited 
operational sophistication.  Sierra Leone-U.S. law 
enforcement coordination on the narcotics issue increased in 
2009, culminating in expulsions of wanted narcotics 
traffickers into U.S. custody in April. This unprecedented 
level of cooperation has already set the tone for further 
collaboration and engagement in the future.  Interagency 
coordination among Sierra Leone's law enforcement entities is 
a challenge, but the Joint Drug Interdiction Task Force 
created in 2008 is now a well-functioning group that spans 
agencies and interests. Sierra Leone is a party to the 1988 
UN Drug Convention. 
 
3) Status of Country 
 
Sierra Leone is a transshipment point for illegal drugs, 
particularly cocaine from South America.  Europe is usually 
the final destination, often via sub-regional neighbors such 
as Guinea, though recent reports indicate that direct flights 
from Freetown to London and Brussels are also vulnerable. 
Lungi International Airport in Freetown is one focus for 
traffickers, though reports indicate that small, unmarked air 
strips throughout the country are also used.  Narcotics 
primarily move overland or via sea to Guinea, with Konakridee 
near Port Loko as the usual port of exit.  South American 
cocaine trafficking rings are increasingly active in Sierra 
Leone, relying somewhat on local partners with political and 
military connections. Trafficking has also fueled increasing 
domestic drug consumption.  Cannabis cultivation is on the 
rise in Sierra Leone and used regularly here.  Law 
enforcement officials are concerned that narcotics rings are 
growing in size and influence.  Major drug traffickers pay 
local accomplices in kind, and Freetown now has a "street 
price" of 40,000 Leones (USD 10.00) for a gram of cocaine. 
Diversion of precursor chemicals is not a problem. 
 
4) Country Actions Against Drugs in 2009 
 
a) Policy Initiatives: The National Drug Control Act was 
passed in 2008 to bring Sierra Leone into conformity with 
international conventions and norms.  The Act expands on the 
Dangerous Drugs Act (1960) and the Pharmacy and Drugs Act 
(2001), which had major substantive drafting problems and 
inadequate punishment for narcotics abuse and trafficking. 
The 2008 Act established a National Drug Law Enforcement 
Agency (NDLEA) to serve as the focal point on policy issues 
and investigations.  The new law also defined stricter 
penalties for all charges, contained mutual legal assistance 
provisions, and authorized a budget appropriation to support 
prevention and control activities.  While the new Act was a 
positive step for Sierra Leone, harmonizing its legislation 
with international standards, many authorities have noted 
that revisions are required to increase its effectiveness. 
Offenses by legal &persons8, i.e., corporations and 
provisions for complicit or insufficiently responsible 
commercial carriers, and in addition the sections on 
forfeiture and foreign assets have been identified as areas 
needing either new or strengthened drafting.  The Act also 
fails to adequately address prevention measures and treatment 
options for addicted drug abusers.  The law will likely be 
revised in 2010, following the conclusion of the appeals 
process for individuals convicted under the Act in 2009. 
 
-- The NDLEA has a limited budget and staff. Sixty officers 
have been seconded from the Sierra Leone Police, but lack 
equipment and support to effectively perform their duties. 
The Agency has offices in five locations outside of Freetown, 
but they are not yet operational.  The Agency intends to 
increase its efforts in the area of demand reduction and 
public awareness. 
 
 
FREETOWN 00000430  002 OF 004 
 
 
-- Government of Sierra Leone representatives participate in 
ECOWAS conferences and Mano River Union meetings, striving 
for better sub-regional cooperation.  Law enforcement 
agencies cooperate with their counterparts in neighboring 
countries on specific cases and identifying trends. 
 
b) Law Enforcement Efforts: Sierra Leone law enforcement 
agencies cooperated to combat narcotics trafficking through 
the Joint Drug Interdiction Task Force, which was established 
in 2008. The Task Force includes representatives from the 
SLP, Office of National Security (ONS), NDLEA, Republic of 
Sierra Leone Armed Forces, Immigration, Civil Aviation 
Authority, Anti-Corruption Commission, and the National 
Revenue Authority.  The 2008 cocaine bust is counted as the 
Task Force's main success to date, and a significant one. 
The Task Force performed with distinction during this high 
profile incident, and has continued to expand and increase in 
sophistication in 2009.  Thanks to significant training 
efforts supported by international partners, the Task Force 
consists of 60 enforcement officers, including surveillance 
and forensic specialists.  The Task Force is now a pro-active 
unit which generates and shares intelligence, conducts 
large-scale operations, and responds quickly to emergent 
threats.  It will continue to be the primary government body 
responsible for narcotics-related crimes until the new 
National Drug Law Enforcement Agency becomes fully 
operational. 
 
-- Drugs transit in and out of Sierra Leone by sea, but 
authorities have limited means to combat this. The Joint 
Maritime Wing, composed of military and police officials, 
conduct minimal patrols with two small vessels provided by 
the U.S. Coast Guard and a larger, Shanghai-class patrol 
boat donated by the Chinese Government. The expense of fuel 
and maintenance is an impediment to the Wing's effectiveness, 
as is the short-range nature of the patrol boats available to 
them.  The Chinese-built boat, despite its longer range, has 
a shallow draft and is unsuitable for deep water operations. 
 
-- The Government of Sierra Leone is working to improve the 
regularity and reliability of statistics maintained on arrest 
rates, prosecutions, and convictions.  Data kept by the SLP 
between January and October, 2008, recorded seventeen 
seizures of cannabis and cocaine, netting approximately 
10,602 kg of the former, and 743.5 kg of the latter. 
Twenty-one people were charged with various offenses 
surrounding the 2008 case, and 17 faced narcotics charges in 
the High Court.  Fifteen individuals were ultimately 
convicted, with custodial sentences ranging from three to 
five years.  There were no narcotics-related extraditions to 
or from the United States in 2009. 
 
c) Corruption: Sierra Leone does not, as a matter of 
government policy, encourage or facilitate illicit production 
or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other 
controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from 
illegal drug transactions, nor has any senior official been 
charged with engaging in, encouraging, or facilitating 
narcotics production or trafficking.  However, Sierra Leone's 
judicial system is still undergoing a rebuilding process, and 
struggles with low conviction rates across a spectrum of 
crimes, including those that are narcotics-related.  Even 
those violators who are convicted often pay a fine in lieu of 
serving prison time, though the new National Drug Control Act 
has stiffer penalties and requisite jail terms.  The limited 
resources available to the judiciary remain a problem in 
controlling drug trafficking in Sierra Leone. 
 
-- Corruption among law enforcement officials is also a 
problem in Sierra Leone due to the low levels of pay and 
general endemic poverty.  Two SLP officers and one ONS 
officer were convicted for their role in the July 2008 
cocaine bust. 
 
d) Agreements and Treaties: Sierra Leone is a party to the 
1988 UN Drug Convention, the 1971 UN Convention on 
Psychotropic Substances, and the 1961 UN Single Convention, 
as amended by the 1972 Protocol.  U.S.-Sierra Leone 
extradition relations are governed by the 1974 Extradition 
Act. Sierra Leone is a party to the UN Convention against 
Corruption.  In March 2008, Sierra Leone ratified the African 
Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption, five 
years after they became signatories. Though Sierra Leone 
signed the UN Convention against Transnational Organized 
Crime in 2001, it has yet to ratify it. 
 
e) Cultivation and Production: Cannabis is widely cultivated 
and consumed locally, and is also transported to surrounding 
countries and Europe.  The Joint Drug Interdiction Task Force 
 
FREETOWN 00000430  003 OF 004 
 
 
conducted multiple raids of cannabis farms, and noted that 
cultivation appears to be increasing; the government is 
concerned that cannabis production is crowding-out regular 
subsistence farming, and is a threat to food security.  One 
&joint8 costs approximately 1,000 Leones, (25 U.S. cents) 
on the streets of Freetown. 
 
f) Drug Flow/Transit: Cocaine is the main drug that transits 
Sierra Leone.  Cocaine comes from South America en route to 
Europe.  Sierra Leone's unguarded and porous maritime border 
makes it highly vulnerable to traffickers moving shipments by 
sea.  Narcotics are often held and repackaged in Sierra Leone 
for reshipment to Guinea, though some go directly to Europe 
via shipping containers or in air cargo.  Individuals also 
carry small amounts on passenger aircraft, sometimes in their 
baggage or items with hidden compartments, and through body 
cavity concealment.  In October, a Nigerian citizen was 
stopped with 12 balloons of cocaine in his stomach; 
authorities believe that this practice is increasing in 
Sierra Leone. 
 
-- Improving security at Lungi Airport has been a priority 
for authorities and the international airlines that use it, 
and luggage is scanned for contraband. Individuals are also 
searched, as well as hand-luggage searches, resulting in most 
of the arrests at the airport to date.  Still, officials 
assume that the drugs found are only a small portion of what 
slips through the cracks due to imperfect detection efforts 
and corruption. 
 
g) Domestic Programs: The NDLEA, in conjunction with civil 
society, has conducted several public awareness campaigns 
about the dangers of drugs.  This includes outreach to 
schools and over radio, and the publication of posters and 
pamphlets.  The Agency intends to increase these efforts in 
¶2009.  Treatment programs are highly limited, with addicts 
receiving assistance at the country's one psychiatric 
hospital and a few private facilities run by NGOs.  The 2008 
law puts treatment and rehabilitation for offenders under the 
purview of the Minister of Justice and appointed treatment 
assessment panels.  Treatment can be in lieu of prosecution, 
or result in a sentence suspension, to be determined on a 
case-by-case basis.  Funding for treatment and facilities 
will be provided by the Sierra Leone Fund for Prevention and 
Control of Drug Abuse, which will include funds from 
Parliament, moneys provided through mutual assistance 
agreements, voluntary payments, grants, or gifts, and 
investment income derived from the Fund.  The Fund will also 
be used to support the Agency's overall efforts. 
 
5) U.S.  Policy Initiatives and Programs 
 
a) Bilateral Cooperation: The USG's counternarcotics and 
anticrime goals in Sierra Leone are to strengthen Sierra 
Leonean law enforcement capacity generally, improve 
interdiction capabilities, and reduce Sierra Leone's role as 
a transit point for narcotics.  In 2008, Sierra Leone became 
eligible for ILEA-U.S Law Enforcement Academy training, and 
officers have started attending courses.  Narcotics-specific 
training, as well as related training, was prioritized in 
2009; the JDITF and others benefited from several 
USG-sponsored events, including surveillance training and 
investigation techniques for transnational organized crime 
cases. 
 
-- In April, 2009, Sierra Leone expelled three foreign 
nationals into U.S. custody.  These individuals, who were 
prosecuted in Sierra Leone for their role in the 2008 cocaine 
bust, were removed to the United States to face charges there 
and assist with significant ongoing investigations.  Though 
there is no overarching bilateral mutual legal assistance 
treaty between Sierra Leone and the U.S., eight months of 
negotiation and collaboration paved the way for a successful 
expulsion by the authority of Sierra Leonean law.  The 
expulsion sent a powerful message that Sierra Leone is an 
active and cooperative partner in the global war on drugs, 
using both their own domestic legal framework and their 
positive relationships with other nations to bring criminals 
to justice. 
 
b) The Road Ahead: The April conviction of 15 traffickers, 
including 7 foreigners, strongly indicated that Sierra Leone 
is trying to stem the tide of organized crime that is 
infiltrating the sub-region.  Ongoing efforts to train and 
mobilize the enforcement group, as well as willingness to 
collaborate with international partners, also demonstrate 
Sierra Leone's tough stance on drugs.  However, having a will 
does not necessarily mean that there is a way ) limited 
funding to effectively enforce the 2008 law remains a 
 
FREETOWN 00000430  004 OF 004 
 
 
significant problem.  Enhancing law enforcement's capacity to 
combat the drug trade through training and equipment and 
reducing corruption within the ranks require funds the Sierra 
Leonean government simply does not have.  Enforcing strict 
controls over financial transactions, to prevent funds earned 
from the narcotics trade being used for further criminal 
activity, is also an unaffordable necessity for Sierra Leone. 
 Strengthening law enforcement capabilities, enhancing 
security measures at the airport, and improving surveillance 
of the ports and waterways are important priorities that the 
government can ill-afford to ignore if it seeks to prevent 
Sierra Leone from becoming an even more attractive target for 
criminal organizations. 
FEDZER