Police Bust Secret Drug Lab in the Heart of Freetown

June 15, 2025

A quiet street in Freetown turned into a crime scene recently as police uncovered a hidden factory used to produce dangerous drugs.

Acting on credible intelligence, Sierra Leone’s Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU) raided a three-storey building on Taylor Street, Fourah Bay Road. What they found was shocking — a stash of illegal drugs, suspicious chemicals, gas masks, and digital weighing scales — all pointing to a full-scale drug manufacturing operation.

The raid was led by Chief Superintendent M.K. Alieu, with crucial backing from Assistant Inspector General of Police Sylvester M.N. Koroma. Their swift action followed tip-offs that the location was being used to produce kush, a notorious synthetic drug, among other harmful substances.

Interestingly, when police stormed the building, it was completely empty. No suspects were found on site, and despite efforts to engage local community members during the operation, no one could identify the occupants or say who owns the property.

“This was clearly a well-hidden operation,” one officer remarked. “The people behind this went to great lengths to stay under the radar.”

Authorities are now digging deeper to find out who’s responsible. Investigations are ongoing, and the police remain determined to break the network fueling the local drug trade.

As the fight against drug abuse continues in Sierra Leone, this discovery is a wake-up call — not just for the police, but for communities to stay alert and work together to protect their neighbourhoods.