By Makutu Manneh
Law enforcement officers have uprooted and burned 60 cannabis farms in Niumi Jinack, according to Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, the Minister of Information, Media, and Broadcasting Services, who described the operation as a significant step in enforcing the country’s drug laws.
Speaking during his weekly government update on West Coast Radio, Dr. Ceesay said the farms were destroyed in coordinated operations carried out on Feb. 28 and March 1 in the communities of Jinack Kajatta and Jinack Niggi. In addition to the farms, he said, 14 bags of processed cannabis were seized and burned.
“We commend the law enforcement agencies, with the leadership of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, for the very good job they have done to make sure that law is enforced in this country and public safety is prioritized,” Dr. Ceesay said.
The operations were led by the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, which has in recent years intensified efforts to curb drug cultivation and trafficking across the country.
Jinack, an island settlement in the North Bank Region, has long been associated with cannabis cultivation. Dr. Ceesay said the area’s reputation was partly sustained by what he described as a myth—that law enforcement officers who attempted to enter the community to destroy cannabis farms would suffer misfortune. He characterized that belief as a misconception and said the recent operations demonstrated the government’s resolve to enforce the law uniformly.
The destruction of the farms, however, has stirred anger and disappointment among some residents of Jinack Niggi and Kajatta. Community members said in interviews that while they were not opposed to transitioning away from cannabis farming, they believed the government should first provide viable economic alternatives.
For many families, cannabis cultivation has been a primary source of income in an area with limited employment opportunities. Residents said abrupt enforcement actions, without a parallel plan for alternative livelihoods, risk deepening economic hardship.
Government officials have not yet announced a specific program aimed at supporting affected farmers, though Dr. Ceesay emphasized that the administration remains committed to both upholding the law and safeguarding public safety.
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