A man arrested with more than two kilograms of cannabis at the Banjul ferry terminal was fined 150,000 dalasis on Monday or face two years in prison, after pleading guilty to a charge of drug trafficking.
The defendant, Muhammed Jallow, who had no prior criminal record, entered his plea at his first appearance before Principal Magistrate M. Krubally and maintained it throughout the proceedings. The case was prosecuted by the Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia.
According to court records, Mr. Jallow was stopped on Nov. 10, 2025, by narcotics officers conducting routine passenger checks in the terminal’s waiting area as he returned from Barra. Officers escorted him to a screening office, where a search of his bag revealed three bundles of cannabis concealed in a black nylon sack and wrapped in cement paper.
Mr. Jallow told investigators that the drugs were not his, saying they had been given to him by a friend in Jinac village with instructions to deliver them to Banjul.
He was arrested at the scene and later charged. Prosecutors said cautionary and voluntary statements were obtained in the presence of an independent witness, and the substances were subsequently weighed and certified before being submitted for laboratory analysis.
When the case resumed on May 4, the defense did not contest the prosecution’s evidence, including the seized drugs, statements, and laboratory reports. Mr. Jallow affirmed the facts as presented, prompting the court to enter a conviction.
In a plea for leniency, defense counsel E. Jamanka urged the court to avoid a custodial sentence, citing her client’s clean record, cooperation with investigators, early guilty plea and family obligations.
“Custodial sentences should be a last resort, particularly for offenders who have demonstrated remorse,” she told the court.
Magistrate Krubally acknowledged the seriousness of the offense, noting that it involved trafficking rather than simple possession. But he accepted the mitigating arguments and cited judicial precedent cautioning against routinely imprisoning first-time offenders when fines may suffice.
He ordered Mr. Jallow to pay a fine of 150,000 dalasis, with a two-year prison term in default.
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