In a $100 million Dixon drug bust case involving defendants Malam Conte, Adulai Djibri Djalo, Makki Admeh Issam, and Oliver A. Zayzay, Liberian prosecutors were unsuccessful in their legal fight.
The four accused men were unanimously found not guilty by the jury at the Criminal Court "C" in Monrovia, dealing a setback to Liberia's efforts to combat illegal drug trafficking.
Judge Blamo Dixon, who was presiding, immediately commanded the prosecution to return the money that had allegedly been taken from the defendants by the government.
Following their arrest last year for their alleged roles in the US$100 million worth of drugs that Liberian authorities allegedly discovered on the grounds of TRH Trading Corporation's rented warehouse in Tonpoe Village, the accused now face criminal proceedings.
The drugs had been unloaded from the company's consigned container when the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) stormed TRH Trading Corporation's warehouse in Tonpoe Village near the Japan Freeway on October 1.
With its main offices on Jamaica Road, Bushrod Island, and a number of subsidiary branches all over the nation, TRH Trading Corporation, which was founded in Hungary, is a multinational corporation.
The business is a component of ABI Jaoudi and Fresh Frozen Food's holding company, AJA Group Holdings.
TRH/AJA Group appears to be enjoying certain privileges with the government of Liberia as it relates to its business dealings. TRH/AJA is one of the privileged companies that clears its containers from the port on invoices and bills of landing without going through any physical inspection.
The container containing $100 million worth of cocaine was loaded at the port of Itajai on August 23, 2022, and then sent to Maersk Line Liberia Limited, with TRH Trading Company listed as the consignee. The container came from Castrolanda Cooperativa in Brazil.
Following a tip from the US government, a large amount of raw cocaine was discovered hidden among frozen chicken feet, wings, and other items.
Before they were seized, the drugs, according to the LDEA, were allegedly in transit from North America (Brazil) to their final, unspecified location.
The prosecution maintained throughout the trial that they had disproved any room for doubt.
The prosecution argued that all of its witnesses' testimony was supported, pleading with the jury to find the four defendants guilty.
But the defense team contended that the government of Liberia falsely linked the defendants to the crime.
The defense attorneys begged the jury panel to consider the evidence presented in court and return a not-guilty verdict.
Because there was no evidence connecting the defendants, release these individuals. The defense argued that Malam Conte's statement is the foundation of the entire case.
Meanwhile, the defense lawyers have pleaded with the court to order the government of Liberia, through the prosecution, to return the US$200,000 that was allegedly seized from the defendants.
They also demanded that the US$10.00 allegedly seized from Oliver Zayzay be returned to him.
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