Sierra Leone arrests 18 in suspected cybercrime network
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Sierraloaded
Sierra Leone’s security forces arrested 18 people and detained around 400 others during raids in Freetown and Kenema targeting a suspected international cybercrime network. They seized 1,206 phones, more than 500 computers, 301 passports and 339 SIM cards, according to the Ministry of Information and Civic Education.
Sierra Leone’s security forces arrested 18 people and detained around 400 others during raids in Freetown and Kenema targeting a suspected international cybercrime network, according to a statement issued on Tuesday 27 October 2026 by the Ministry of Information and Civic Education. The operation was conducted with the National Telecommunications Authority (NaTCA), the national telecommunications regulator.
The authorities seized 1,206 mobile phones, more than 500 computers and monitors, 301 passports and 339 SIM cards, including 289 international and 50 local ones. The recovered equipment also included laptops, nine central processing units, five servers, an iPad, translation glasses, a smartwatch and electronic accessories.
Those detained are Sierra Leonean or foreign nationals from Africa and Asia, according to the ministry. Investigators still have to determine the scale of the network’s activities, its international connections and how it was funded. The Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation, NaTCA and the security services will continue monitoring suspected cybercrime activities.
The operation comes as Sierra Leone plans to deactivate, from 1 November, SIM cards not linked to their users’ identities, a measure announced on 21 October.
