The correctional chamber of the Judicial and Financial Pool judged, on March 26, a case of hard drug trafficking whose network had been dismantled in Almadies by the Central Office for the Repression of Illicit Drug Trafficking (OCRTIS) in October 2024.

The defendants B. Ndiaye, C. Tchania alias "Tom," K. Diarassouba, an Ivorian national, and CV Hoover, an American citizen, appeared in court. They are being prosecuted for criminal conspiracy and supplying or distributing drugs. B. Ndiaye is also being investigated for money laundering.

The defendants contested the facts. B. Ndiaye rejected the money laundering accusations, while Hoover denied any involvement in offering electronic cigarettes containing cannabis.

When questioned, B. Ndiaye explained that B. Coly, employed as a cleaning technician at the airport, was responsible for maintaining his apartment. Absent from Dakar at the time of the incident, he claims he entrusted Coly with cleaning the premises before going to a meeting with Hoover to discuss a vehicle sale.

"Along the way, a group of people stopped us. I thought it was an attack. They smashed the windshield of my vehicle, isolated me and searched the car without finding anything," he said.

He says he was then assaulted and forced to remain silent without his lawyer present. He also disputes the seizure of 21 packets of cocaine that investigators claim to have found in his trouser pocket.

While acknowledging the presence of three million CFA francs in his car, he maintains that the police only reported one million. "I don't even know what cocaine is," he insisted.

When questioned, Ms. K. Diarassouba stated that she had been moved into the apartment by her fiancé, Ismaïla, who was not present at the time. "Individuals burst in demanding money. They searched the apartment without ever mentioning the discovery of drugs," she declared, denying any knowledge of illegal activities.

C. Tchania, known as "Tom," also denied any involvement, claiming it was simply a car sale. He asserted that he had been forced to sign official reports under torture. However, his statements during the preliminary investigation indicated involvement in drug trafficking after he lost his job.

American citizen CV Hoover also contested the facts, denying possession of the incriminating electronic cigarettes.

B. Coly, questioned for informational purposes, was released without charge. He claims he found no drugs in the apartment and denounces the seizure of his phone and the 100,000 CFA francs he had just received as salary.

The prosecution's strongly worded indictment

In his indictment, the financial public prosecutor, Ibrahima Faye, recalled that B. Ndiaye, also known under the aliases "Ismaïla" or "Khalifa Ababacar", had been cited during the dismantling of the network.

According to the public prosecutor, the physical evidence is overwhelming: seizure of cocaine placed under seal, analysis of telephone records revealing exchanges related to products coded "GG," and traces of financial transactions linked to a supplier based in Guinea. The prosecution maintains that B. Ndiaye received the drugs before handing them over to K. Diarassouba, while C. Tchania handled the delivery.

Considering the criminal conspiracy established with the exception of Hoover, the prosecutor also brought charges of money laundering against B. Ndiaye. He requested that the charges against Hoover be dismissed as attempted drug trafficking or distribution and asked for the defendants to be sentenced to three years' imprisonment for B. Ndiaye and two years' imprisonment for the others.

Defense lawyers Albert Thior, Michel Maechor Diouf, Ousseynou Gaye, Baboucar Cissé and Ciré Clédor Ly pleaded for acquittal.

Deliberated on May 21, 2026.