By: Jacqueline Dennis

The Liberia National Police on Friday November 4, 2022 forwarded to court four persons identified as Makki Ahmed Issam, Adulai Djibril Djalo, Malam Conte and Oliver Zayzay in connection to narcotics substance believed to be cocaine with street values put at Hundred Million United States Dollars (US$100,000).

The defendants due to their alleged connection of narcotics drugs which came in the Country through the Freeport of Monrovia in a container of Frozen Pig Feet, were charged for unlicensed importation of controlled drugs or substance, unlicensed possession of controlled drugs or substance drugs Trafficking, Money Laundering, Criminal Conspiracy and Criminal facilitation, which contravened Chapter 14, sections 14.101, 107 and 111 chapter 10.2 and 10.4 respectively, of the new penal code of Liberia.

Defendant Issam, Djalo Conte and Zayzay, were served with the writ of arrest by court officers immediately after the hearing of a writ of habeas corpus that were filed before Judge Roosevelt Willie of the Criminal Court “A” where a petition was filed by the defense Lawyers.

The defendants were escorted by the Court officers to the Monrovia City Court of Judge Jomah Jallah and was later taken to the Monrovia Central Prison on South Beach by the LDEA due to failure to secure their bond on time.

According to the court documents, defendant Issam along with Co-defendant Djalo and Zayzay, on Thursday October 6, 2022, at about 9 pm were officially turned over to the Liberia government through Lorenzo Pelham deputy director of operations Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) by Sierra Leonean government for their involvement into trafficking of five hundred and twenty kilograms (520kgs) of cocaine concealed in twenty eight cartoons of pig feet labeled with Allegra food which was seized on Saturday October 1,2022, at the SONIT Liberia incorporated company Topoe Village.

The document pointed out that, defendant Issam was seen at the fresh frozen company located at Bong Mines pier with co-defendant Conte negotiating for the purchase of the container marked MNBU4070592 on behalf of co-defendant Conte and Djalo on October 1, 2022.

During the investigation, it was revealed that defendant Issam escaped upon hearing the arrest of co-defendant Conte and subsequently fled to neighboring Sierra Leone along with co-defendant Djalo based on his involvement into the drugs syndicate.

The document said on Saturday October 1, 2022 at the hour of 1:00 pm a Guinea Bissau national Malam Conte arrived in Liberia on September 19, 2022 and was arrested with the amount of two hundred thousand United States dollars (US$200,000) on him. While in the process of purchasing the container bearing reference number MNBU4070592 with five hundred and twenty kilograms (520kgs) of cocaine with street value of hundred million United States dollars that was seized within the company of SONIT Liberia incorporated located in Topoe Village.

The document further revealed that, defendant Conte said he and Co-defendant Djalo left Guinea Bissau and arrived in Monrovia on September 19, 2022, with the intention to take delivery of the five hundred and twenty kilograms (520kgs) of cocaine that were placed in the container marked MNBU4070592 in Brazil.

However, it was also discovered that prior to coming to Liberia defendant Djalo and co-defendant Conte knew and had been in constant contact with Co-defendant Gustavo Henrique who is at Large.

The document said defendant Djalo, Conte and Gustavo Henrique came from Guinea Bissau and Brazil respectively to receive the 520kgs placed within the container serial numbers MMBU407052, as the defendant were knowledgeable as to the movement of the cocaine within the container.

The defendants prior to the writ that were served on them by court officers, were seen escorted by huge number of agents of the LDEA along with some officers of the Liberia National Police and headed to Criminal Court “A” of Judge Roosevelt Willie on a petition filed by their legal counsel on a Writ of Habeas Corpus.

Doing the argument the defense Lawyers said that as to the entire petition filed, and prayed for the issuance of the Writ of Habeas Corpus and said writ being a fundamental right available to a person that found in category of the petitioner.

The Petition claimed that since the arrest and detention of the petitioners at the Monrovia Central Prison, they have been there for more than twenty three (23) days or beyond the statutory period of 48 hours as allowed by law.

While the respondent, Ministry of Justice said in obedience to the writ of the court, having realized of being cognizant that the writ is a proper instrument that has been filed and served on the respondent, it has brought before the court the living bodies of the petitioners as prayed for in the petition. The respondent also said further that due to some national security concerns it would be unable to give a justification for long pulling of the petitioners in detention.

Judge Willie said “court having listened to the petition was filed and the resistant there to, the argument say whether or not, the accused having been brought to court should be released now? Under our constitution Article 21 section read ‘the right to habeas corpus is also called the ‘Great Writ’ in other words, it is a writ that protect the fundamental right of every and each individual but, there are exception to this writ and the only exception to this Writ while it made not be stated in the Constitution is when the detention of the accused is bordered of National Security.”

The court “says it cannot and will not release the accused to their Lawyers or their family members on Friday and hereby give the respondent the state only today to forward the accused to court failure on the part of the state to forward the accused to court today, the petitioners should file a bill of information to this court either on Monday latest where it can be proven that the accused were not forwarded to court today the petition as hereby prayed for will be granted in whole”.