South African Woman Gets 30 Years for Cocaine at Sierra Leone Airport

A Sierra Leone High Court sentenced 37-year-old South African Asandra Denise to a maximum of 30 years in prison after convicting her on five drug trafficking counts for carrying 5.4 kilograms of cocaine hidden in 365 pellets. Arrested at Freetown's Lungi International Airport as she prepared to depart, Denise from South Africa's Eastern Cape pleaded not guilty but offered no defense witnesses against prosecutors' evidence, including forensic confirmation. The judiciary labeled it a major narcotics case, forfeiting and destroying the drugs, while online discussions saw South Africans questioning her nationality amid broader concerns over hundreds of their citizens detained abroad for similar offenses.