The opposition in Sierra Leone has raised serious concerns over alleged links between the country and international drug trafficking networks, following a major cocaine seizure linked to a vessel that departed from the capital, Freetown.
In an open letter to President Julius Maada Bio, opposition leader Abdulai Kargbo of the All People’s Congress warned of what he described as growing evidence that Sierra Leone may be being used as a transit route for global organised crime.
The concerns come after Spanish authorities intercepted a Comoros-flagged ship in the Atlantic Ocean last week, seizing around 30 tonnes of cocaine valued at about 700 million US dollars. The vessel, which had departed from Freetown, was reportedly heading toward the Mediterranean Sea when it was stopped. Authorities arrested 23 suspects of various nationalities, including Filipino, Dutch, and Surinamese citizens.
Sierra Leonean security agencies have since launched an investigation into how the ship was able to leave the country undetected while carrying such a large illicit cargo.
In his letter, Kargbo said he was speaking out of “profound concern and patriotic duty,” warning that repeated international reports have linked Sierra Leone’s ports, borders, and territorial waters to global drug trafficking networks.
He further cautioned that the incident raises troubling questions about possible institutional weaknesses or the influence of powerful criminal networks operating within or around state systems.
The opposition leader argued that the seizure has intensified both domestic and international suspicions that organised crime groups may be benefiting from political protection or official complicity.
The controversy has also revived attention on reports involving Jos Leijdekkers, a Dutch national described by Europol as one of Europe’s most wanted drug traffickers. Leijdekkers was previously sentenced in absentia in the Netherlands to 24 years in prison for large-scale cocaine trafficking and related crimes.
Recent reports suggest he has been seen in Sierra Leone and allegedly photographed alongside senior officials, though authorities have not confirmed any formal links.
Security experts say West Africa has increasingly become a major transit hub for cocaine shipments moving from Latin America to Europe, exploiting weak maritime surveillance and porous borders across coastal states.
The government in Freetown says investigations are ongoing, while opposition figures are calling for stronger maritime security, greater transparency, and urgent reforms to prevent the country from becoming a safe corridor for international drug cartels.
