Cannabis clampdown in Sierra Leone

Police in Sierra Leone say they have seized a large quantity of cannabis plants in a raid on three farms in the Port Loco district, a few kilometres away from the country's only international airport.

Officers say they detained the head of the local village for questioning, but he was later released.

A BBC correspondent in the region says police have been trying to clamp down on high levels of drug abuse in the area, which is renowned for growing cannabis.

Our correspondent says cannabis is illegal in Sierra Leone, but has become easily available in the ghettos of the country's provincial towns.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service