–Gov’t To Lose Another Major Drug Case If…
Since the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), then headed by Col. Abraham Kromah, raided the home of George Obi, alias Japan, and confiscated thousands of US dollars’ worth of drugs in February 2024, the alleged drug lord has reportedly been making efforts to bring the LDEA and Col. Kromah to their knees by accusing them of taking away over US$350,000 from him during the raid.
George Obi (Japan) is an alleged notorious drug lord who has a drug-manufacturing facility at his house, producing varied forms of drugs which have negatively impact the youth and turned them into drug addicts. He was arrested by LDEA agents on February 21, 2024, turned over to the Liberia National Police (LNP) and subsequently forwarded to court for prosecution. He was apprehended with a huge consignment of drugs, including 800g of Kush, 133.5g of Heroin, 500g of Marijuana and 16.6g of Tramadol, street valued at US$31,625 or its equivalence in Liberian dollars.
He, along with Peter Mamah, Edwin Ozioko, Ndubuisi Okonkwo, Igwe David, Sunday Udeh and several others were indicted for unlawful maintenance and distribution of controlled substances, unlicensed sale and distribution of controlled drugs, and criminal conspiracy by the Montserrado County Grand Jury. If found guilty, they could face imprisonment for up to ten years or more.
However, in an effort to cleanse his name and drag the LDEA and Col. Kromah in the mud, Obi has allegedly been using his “ill-gotten” wealth to influence several social media platforms, with the hope of aborting Kromah’s reinstatement by President Joseph N. Boakai and ensuring that the case is overlooked and trashed out of court or, possibly, derailed and turned in his favor.
The case is currently before the Judge of Criminal Court “C”, Blamo Dixon, and hearings in the matter began on Friday, October 4, 2024, with the former LDEA boss, Col. Kromah, providing his testament.
Col. Kromah was subpoenaed by Judge Dixon to appear in court on October 4 to provide evidence regarding his role in the arrest of the defendant. Also, the Office-in-Charge at the LDEA, Christopher Peter, has been required by the court to provide the CCTV recordings taken from the residence of George Obi, which the court described as pertinent to the case.
During his testimony, Col. Kromah observed that the raid on Obi’s residence was an open process, in plain view of the media, court’s Sheriff and onlookers from the community. He categorically denied the allegation that money was taken from the premises of the defendant, terming the claim as false and misleading.
Meanwhile, legal pundits have praised the suspended LDEA boss for his appearance in court and the frank deliberations he provided in the matter, giving a clear picture of what occurred and how the LDEA carried out the arrest.
They however pointed out that Liberia is at the brink of failure in the fight against drugs, as cartels are allegedly infusing thousands, if not millions, into Liberia to undermine the drug war initiated by President Boakai. Besides, they say, there has been a culture of “not-guilty” opinion from court jurors in drug-related cases, and warned that government may lose the case against Obi and others if full attention is not paid to the details of little elements of facts and evidence.
They emphasized that, if government must win the case, prosecution lawyers should be farsighted in identifying ploys to undermine their submission regarding elements of facts in the case that are supposed to lead to possible culpability and eventual conviction of the accused.
According to them, Obi is a wealthy drug lord, and his accusation of Col. Kromah and the LDEA taking over US$350,000 from him could be a well calculated strategy to discredit the LDEA, prolong the case and have himself released.
The legal minds emphasized that it is imperative that anyone found in the act of undermining the President’s fight against drugs be prosecuted, as they, too, are facilitating the rampant influx of the illegal substance in the Liberian society.