Suitcases with suspected cocaine were found in the embassy car

Sierra Leone has recalled its ambassador from neighboring Guinea after seven suitcases containing what is believed to be cocaine were found in an embassy car.

Guinean authorities on Monday seized a car belonging to the Sierra Leone embassy and detained its occupants on suspicion of possessing “substances suspected of being cocaine,” Sierra Leone’s Foreign Minister Alhaji Musa Timothy Kaba said.

“In light of this serious development, the government has urgently recalled Sierra Leone’s ambassador to Guinea, Mr. Alimami Bangura, to Freetown to give a full report on the incident,” he added.

The recalled ambassador was not in the car and he was not arrested, the minister said.

“It has not been proven that the ambassador is involved in this traffic,” Kabba said.

About $2,000 (£1,600) in cash was found along with seven suitcases, according to the minister, who did not specify the weight of the suspected drugs.

He said the two West African countries were cooperating in a “thorough” investigation into the incident, promising that all those responsible would be brought to justice.

“Anyone found guilty of violating Sierra Leonean and international drug trafficking laws will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

West Africa is the main transit point for cocaine traffic from Latin America, where it is produced, to Europe, one of the drug’s main markets.

But some medicines are also used on the spot.

Last April, the President of Sierra Leone, Julius Maada Biya declared drug abuse in the country a state of emergency.

Kush, a psychoactive mixture of addictive substances, has been prevalent in the country for years.

Local communities have called on the government to tackle the scourge and help them deal with drug users.