By Charles Gbayor,charlesmenlor@gmail.com
BARCLAYVILLE, Liberia- A 40-year-old notorious drugs dealer, Ms. Hajah Tourey also known as Hawa Tourey has been sentenced to three years imprisonment by the 12th Judicial Circuit Court for Unlicensed Possession of controlled drugs Substances and aggravated assault here in Grand Kru County, southeastern Liberia.
The illicit drugs seized from her include cocaine valued hundreds of US dollars.
Judge Adios Blamo Dixon announced the sentence in his final ruling handed down recently, following a unanimous guilty verdict by trial jury unanimously brought defendant Hajah Tourey for committing the crimes.
Defendant Tourey, who is widely known to be a notorious female drugs trader in Grand Kru, was indicated by the Grand Jury of this County on September 14, 2018 for the alleged crimes.
The first indictment drawn against the defendant alleged that she was arrested with Marijuana valued USD$1,500.00 or LRD$225,000.00 on July 3, 2018.
The Judge said the indictment further alleged that in the process to arrest the defendant, she ordered a group of men who were in her Ghettos to attack and throw stones at the officers of the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA). The judge said that the men also seized from the DEA officers, the Cocaine that was confiscated from her and held the officers hostage for hours, until they were rescued on July 4, 2018 by officers of the police support unit.
Judge Dixon explained in his judgement that as the result of Hajah Hawa Turey the drugs dealer ordered special agent Fred P. Dahn, chief of operations, Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency detachment of Grand Kru County Sustained serious bodily injuries on his right eye.
The DEA Records show that during the investigation of the defendant at their headquarters in Barclayville, the defendant refused to make a statement; but she gave an amount of LRD$30,000.00 for the medical treatment of the victim of witness Dahn.
The 12th Judicial Circuit court of Grand Kru noted that the defendant could not be prosecuted for the alleged crime in 2018, because Hajah escaped from the bailiwick of the court; after the Stipendiary Magistrate of the Barclayville City Magisterial court granted her a bail bond, in keeping with section 13.5 of the criminal procedure law of Liberia.
The defendant was again arrested on May 30, 2019 and also indicted by the Grand Jury of Grand Kru on June 6, 2019 for the alleged commission of the crime of unlicensed sale of narcotic drugs.
The second indictment against the defendant alleged that she was arrested with 185grams of alleged substances believed to be Heroine valued USD$5,920.00 or LRD$888,000.00. The indictment was advanced on the court docket for the May term, A.D 2019. The presiding Judge maintained that the gram total of the alleged harmful drugs substance confiscated from the jailed defendant is USD$7,420.00 or 1million, and one hundred thirteen thousand Liberian Dollars. The two indictments were read in to the defendant upon arraignment and she pleaded not guilty thereby joining issues with the state.
The prosecution further produced and qualified three witnesses: namely special agent Fred P. Dahn and agent Charles D. Roberts and Stanley Weaba of the DEA. The three witnesses for the state confirmed and affirmed the allegation and averment laid in the indictment and leveled against the defendant. The LDEA Officials used the United Nations Standard drugs test kit and demonstrated before the court and Jury to establish and prove that the substances were indeed Heroine.
LDEA special agent, Dahn told the court and jury that the Marijuana was locally grown Marijuana in Liberia. The prosecution cited several laws to warrant the defendant conviction beyond a reasonable doubt for the alleged multiple crimes charged and presented oral and documentary evidence in court during their augment and rested and submitted it to the court.
One the other hand, the Defense Council ABC Bah quoted numerous laws and vehemently argued before the court and jury that the prosecution woefully failed to establishe a Prima Facie case against the defendant Hajah Turey to warrant her conviction for the crimes she was charged with by LDEA. And she prayed for an appealed at the supreme court of Liberia. After careful examinations of the evidence adduced in the case, the jury brought down a unanimous guilty verdict against the defendant Hawa Hajah Turey.
The May Term of the Circuit Court was presided over by Judge Adios Blamo Dixon, who lamented that the 40-year-old female drugs trader will serve her three years imprisonment at the common jail of Grand Kru or any other common jail in the Republic of Liberia.
Meanwhile, the prosecution lawyer Attorney Adolphus Brown expressed satisfaction over the Judge’s ruling and said such sentenced will serve as warning to those who think they will come in conflict with the law and walk with impunity.
He said the state will not relent in prosecuting perpetrators of crimes in the county, especially those involved into narcotic drugs businesses that has the propensity to undermine the future of the youthful population of the county. Attorney Brown extolled Judge Dixon his final judgement.