Pharmacy Board destroys expired counterfeit and substandard medicines worth over Le 804 000 at Kaffu Bullum Lungi *Port Loko District Sierra Leone — February 2026*

In a significant move to protect public health and crack down on illegal pharmaceutical trade the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone has carried out a major destruction exercise of expired counterfeit and substandard medicines at the Kaffu Bullum dumping site in Lungi Port Loko District.

The exercise which drew a wide range of stakeholders including police officers traders community leaders and traditional members saw a total of 422 line items of illicit and unfit medicines destroyed with a combined value of eight hundred and four thousand five hundred and thirty-nine leones (Le 804 539.00).

The medicines destroyed includes tablets syrups injectables capsules surgical supplies and other pharmaceutical products were gathered following a series of routine inspections conducted by the Pharmacy Board's officers at Lungi operating under the Freetown International Airport jurisdiction in the North West Region.

Speaking at the event the Registrar of the Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone *Dr. James Peter Komeh* explained that the medicines were seized as a direct result of routine inspection operations. He noted that those from whom the drugs were confiscated included street drug peddlers and individuals operating pharmacies and medicine outlets without the knowledge or authorisation of the Pharmacy Board.

"Some of the medicines are not necessarily bad in terms of their composition but they have been illegally brought into the country without the approval of the Board " Dr Komeh stated. "This makes them dangerous because we cannot guarantee their storage conditions their authenticity or their safety for public consumption."

The destruction exercise was formally documented through an internal memo submitted by the Officer-in-Charge at Lungi *Mohamed I. Kamara* to the Registrar through the Head of Department for the Factory Inspectorate and Importation Control (FIIC) and the Officer-in-Charge of Distribution Chain and Inspection Department (DCI). The memo provided a comprehensive list of all 422 line items quantified for destruction including a range of commonly used medicines such as paracetamol tablets antibiotics like erythromycin and ampicillin antifungal agents anti-inflammatory drugs syrups surgical blades needles and syringes and various other pharmaceutical products.

The presence of police officers market traders local leaders and traditional authority members at the destruction site was seen as a deliberate effort by the Pharmacy Board to promote transparency and send a strong public message against the illegal importation and sale of medicines outside regulated channels.

The Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone has reiterated its commitment to conducting regular inspections across the country and urged members of the public to purchase medicines only from licensed and authorised pharmacies and drug outlets. Members of the public with information about illegal drug traders or unregistered medicine sellers are encouraged to report such activities to the Board.