They captured and held peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL) and, in August 2000, captured a patrol of British soldiers from the Royal Irish Regiment and their Sierra Leone Army liaison officer.
The West Side Boys were heavy users of poyo (homemade palm wine), locally grown marijuana, and heroin bought with conflict diamonds.
At the time that the West Side Boys were active, large areas of Sierra Leone were controlled by militias.
However, there existed no provable connections to the main rebel group in Sierra Leone, the Revolutionary United Front.
"[4] A 2008 article published in the Journal of Modern African Studies offers an alternative view of the West Side Boys as an effective military unit employing military and political techniques to achieve defined goals, as opposed to a criminal gang with no political purpose engendered by the perpetual lawlessness and social breakdown of the country.