Guinea’s special anti-drug services presented a young man accused of drug trafficking to the press on 19 January 2021.[1] The man was 33-year-old Ibrahima Bah, arrested in Conakry with 80 grams of what police described as a new type of cannabis in Guinea.[1] Police said Bah was stopped on 13 January 2021 at about 2 p.m. in the Koulewondy quarter, holding eight sachets totalling 80 grams.[1] Questioned by police, he admitted owning the parcels and named American resident Jackson Williams as his main supplier.[2] When questioned by the press, Bah said someone else put the drug on his motorbike and insisted he is only a currency changer who was framed.[1]
The 80 grams were hidden in plastic under the seat of his TVS motorbike.[1] Police called the substance Couche, a kind of cannabis they said was previously unknown in Guinea and imported from the United States and Europe.[3] Police said the drug is prepared in the United States, more specifically in California.[1] Police said it reaches Guinea by sea, most often hidden in used cars, second-hand clothing and various objects.[1] Police priced 10 grams of Couche at 1 million Guinean francs, far more than the traditional cannabis known in Guinea.[1]
The special-services department said it opened an investigation to find possible accomplices in the international traffic.[1] The police spokesperson urged the national police, gendarmerie, army and customs to pool efforts to confront the unfamiliar drug and protect Guinean youth.[1] A third account confirms Bah, described as a man in his thirties, was presented to the press alongside anti-drug communication officer Mohamed Mazo Mansaré.[2]
