Visiting TOCU……. Internal Affairs Calls For Tough Action Against Drug and Human Trafficking
On Thursday, July 31, 2025, Internal Affairs Minister Rtd. AIG Morie Lengor Esq. made an unannounced visit to Sierra Leone’s Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU), located at Hastings in Freetown. During the visit, he was presented with drug exhibits awaiting destruction alongside kush-fresh production equipment and vehicles seized from trafficking suspects. Minister Lengor lauded TOCU’s multi-agency teams for their determined work to dismantle drug and human trafficking networks and implored them to continue making organized crime “a very expensive and risky business” for perpetrators.
He reaffirmed his commitment to advocating for life imprisonment sentences for traffickers and dealers, underscoring his view that such harsh penalties would serve as strong deterrents. Lengor also urged the public to recognize the often-dangerous efforts of security forces, reminding Sierra Leoneans that while constructive criticism is important, praise is due when the services perform effectively. The minister visited a clandestine kush production site on Old Road, Waterloo, and instructed TOCU to pursue rapid legal seizure of the property, he described drastic measures as essential to deterring drug manufacturing in the country. He closed his visit by thanking TOCU’s leadership and encouraged continued cooperation and resolve.
Minister Lengor’s visit is part of a broader government effort launched earlier in 2025 to restore law and order, particularly in urban areas disrupted by rising drug use, organized crime, and youth violence. In recent months, the government has intensified enforcement, supported legislative reform, and worked with international partners to strengthen institutional capacity. At a July civil-society workshop organized by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and UNDP, Lengor reaffirmed the role of civil society in monitoring security sector governance and called for a united front against threats like drug trafficking and corruption.
Sierra Leone’s Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU) was established in 2010 under the West Africa Coast Initiative (WACI), supported by UNODC and UNIPSIL, to build capacity for intelligence-led investigations into transnational crimes such as drug trafficking, human trafficking, and maritime piracy. Since its founding, TOCU has carried out at least 18 coordinated law-enforcement operations and investigated over 330 criminal cases, while collaborating with counterparts in Liberia and Guinea on intelligence and border enforcement.
TOCU’s staff are drawn from multiple national agencies, operating under the Sierra Leone Police’s Crime Services Directorate, and benefit from joint training and mentorship by UN agencies. Their mandate includes seizing proceeds of crime, dismantling trafficking networks, and supporting broader regional coordination against organized criminal activity.
A report by the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime in early 2025 revealed that the synthetic drug “kush” circulating in Sierra Leone contains extremely potent and dangerous compounds, nitazenes and synthetic cannabinoids raising public health alarms across the region. The substances are often manufactured locally in Freetown using precursor chemicals imported from China, and demand is driving corruption, overdose deaths, and illicit production labs even near police stations. This growing emergency has pushed TOCU and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to intensify operations against kush production and trafficking as part of their broader national anti-drug campaign.
Minister Lengor’s institutional visit reinforces the government’s determination to confront these threats head on, with TOCU at the operational centre of the response.
