My continued jail sentence is unfair and just for extortion. Why are you keeping me in jail when the court exonerated the key players of the drugs trade?
IPNEWS: In October 2022, Liberian and US authorities announced the seizure of 520 kg of cocaine estimated to be worth US$100 million.
The seizure took place at the Freeport of Monrovia, on the outskirts of the Liberian capital, Monrovia.
Two men were arrested, one from Guinea-Bissau, the other a Lebanese national.
For several years, West Africa has been a transit zone for drugs produced in Latin America and destined for Europe.
Subsequently, on Thursday, December 22, 2022, defendants in US$100M multiple money laundering crimes pleaded ‘not guilty’.
Defendants were charged by the Grand Jury of Montserrado County with the crimes of money laundering, illegal possession of drugs, illegal importation of drugs, and criminal conspiracy.
The defendants, appearing at Criminal Court “C” Thursday, pleaded innocent to the crime after being arraigned in open court.
Now, one of the defendants, Oliver Zazay, says his continue jail sentence is nothing but attempts by officials of government to extort money from him.
Zazay told IPNEWS in its usual hidden swap, that he wonders why he is being kept in prison when major players of the 100 Million cocaine trade are now being released on bill bond.
He narrates that as a young man, he came across two individuals to whom he knew nothing about their criminal dealings and was asked to make reservation bookings at the Royal Grand Hotel which he did, but to be held for ‘money laundering, illegal possession of drugs, illegal importation of drugs, and criminal conspiracy’, is totally inconceivable.
“I’m just a victim of circumstance. My continued jail sentence is unfair and just for extortion. Why are you keeping me in jail when the court exonerated the key players of the drugs trade?” Oliver Zazay lamented to IPNEWS
In a writ of Arrest issued by the Stipendiary Magistrate, Jomah Jallah, Captain Larry Gormuor, magistrate police, and deputies were commanded to arrest the living body of Oliver Allen Zazay and bring him before the Monrovia City Court, to answer charges of Money Laundering and Criminal conspiracy brought before him by the Liberia National Police.
The citation read: “ That during the period of October 2022, in the city of Monrovia, Montserrado county, Republic of Liberia, the within named defendant being there and then with wicked and criminal intent, connived and conspired with Malan Conte, Ahmed Issam Makki Mustaph Baideh, Adulai Djibri Djalo, and Gustava Henrique, who surreptitiously entered the country engaged themselves in money laundering along with the defendant, and that in the process said defendant drove them to the Liberian-Sierra Leone border and used illegal crossing point via the Mano River under the cover of darkness for them to escape with the intent to evade prosecution.”
“The alleged act of the defendant being unlawful, wicked, criminal, illegal and intentional is in violation of the law on Money Laundering and section of the New Penal of Liberia there and then the crimes herein the defendant did do and commit.”
Oliver Zazay stated that his decision to leave Liberia along the Liberia-Sierra Leone border was out of fright given earlier media reports of his involvement in making bookings at the Royal Hotel in the Sinkor suburb.
“Put me in your shoes. You meet friends who claim to be investors and want your assistance in making their rounds in and around Liberia. Certainly, I did and got a hotel for them. I placed my name and contact there as evidence of my innocent in this transaction. Surely, I was contacted by the hotel and police through this very number but with the media report linking me to the involvement of 100 million frighten me and the best to get away and the process I was arrested.”
According to Police, the defendants on October 1, concealed in 28 cartons of pig feet labeled with Alegra foods which were seized at the SONIT Liberia Incorporated compound, Topoe village, Japanese Freeway, Montserrado County.
During the background investigation, police said it was also established that on October 1, a Lebanese man, Co-defendant Issam, was seen at the Fresh Frozen Food Company located at Bong Mines Pearl with Defendant Conte negotiating for the purchase of the container marked MNBU4070592 on behalf of Malai Conte and Adulai Djibri Djalo.
Defendant Issam accordingly escaped upon the arrest of co-defendant Conte and subsequently fled to neighboring Sierra Leone along with Co-defendants Oliver A. Zayzay and Adulai Djibri Djalo.
