The British High Commission in Freetown has strongly denied claims that the United Kingdom is a major source of chemicals used to produce Kush, the deadly synthetic drug ravaging Sierra Leone.
The denial comes after comments attributed to a Strategic Communications Adviser at the Ministry of Information and Civic Education, linking the UK to substances used in the manufacture of Kush.
The adviser was referencing a February 2025 report titled “Kush in Sierra Leone: West Africa’s Growing Synthetic Drugs Challenge,” jointly published by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC) and the Clingendael Institute of the Netherlands.
That report named China, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands as sources of chemicals and active ingredients allegedly used to produce Kush in Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau.
In a clarification statement issued on October 5, 2026, the British High Commission said it had thoroughly reviewed the allegations and found no evidence that chemicals linked to drug production were imported from the UK into Sierra Leone.
“The UK takes credible allegations relating to drug trafficking seriously and will investigate evidence of criminality wherever it exists,” the Commission said.
The High Commission acknowledged that one legal herb, marshmallow leaf (Althaea officinalis), is occasionally imported from the UK to Sierra Leone and has reportedly been used as a base material to spray synthetic chemicals onto when making Kush.
However, it stressed that marshmallow leaf in its natural form is not psychoactive and is not an illegal substance in either the UK or Sierra Leone.
“We are aware of the occasional importation of a herb, marshmallow leaf, from the UK to Sierra Leone, which has reportedly been used in the production of kush. However, in its natural state, it is not a psychoactive substance and is legal in the UK and Sierra Leone,” the statement noted.
The Commission said it is ready to investigate any credible evidence linking UK-based individuals or networks to the Kush trade and urged Sierra Leonean authorities to share any such intelligence.
Kush, a synthetic cannabis-like drug often laced with dangerous chemicals including nitazenes and opioids, has triggered a national emergency.
In April 2024, President Julius Maada Bio declared drug abuse a national emergency and set up a National Task Force on Drugs and Substance Abuse after reports of hundreds of youth deaths and full rehabilitation centres and graveyards in Freetown.
Police and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency have made several arrests of alleged Kush producers and traffickers, but the supply chain remains unclear, with reports of ingredients being imported through courier services and from neighbouring countries.
The British High Commission said tackling the crisis requires collective action and that the UK wants to be part of the solution.
“The UK is keen to be part of any solution and is not immune to criticism where it is based on evidence,” the statement added. “The UK is ready to review and act decisively on any information concerning alleged UK links to the drugs trade in Sierra Leone.”
