MONROVIA – Samuel Teteroien Nimely, Prosecution’s first witness in the US$ one hundred million drug trafficking case, has testified in court, claiming that the four defendants Malan Conte, Adulai Djibril, Makki Admeh Issam and Oliver A. Zayzay engaged his company (TRH Inc.) requesting to purchase a container of pig feet.
By Victoria G Wesseh, Contributing Writer
The defendants have been accused of smuggling into the country five hundred and twenty kilograms (520kgs) of cocaine valued one hundred million United States dollars, prompting the government to charge them with criminal facilitation charges against them.
Nimely, who is an employee of TRH Incorporation, said one of his employees got skeptical of their request, because they had indicated that they wanted to ship their container to Cote D’Ivoire.
Nimely clarified that his company does not ship pig feet to Cote D’Ivoire, when they further asked the defendants they said that the container of pig feet was intended for campaign in Liberia.
He said when they further enquired, defendants was very cleared that they wanted a container of big feet. Nimely told the court that they suggested that they could source the container of pig feet from their Bong Mine Pier Facility.
Witness Nimely that the pig feet or container was situated at one of their locations outside or the Freeport area, but the defendants told them that they had detailed information on their inventory and the location.
Witness Nimely said that they confirmed this by providing the container ID number and location, after which the defendants left because they could not convene the TRH Trading to make a sale.
He added that after that process on Friday, September 29, 2022, defendants came in with a bag containing each in which found out later. Defendants decided to offer to pay TRH Trading the amount of US$200,000.00, and said amount was displayed.
He said. “Each of the defendants, their demand was for a container of pig feet but later during the negotiation they make clear that they only needed twenty -nine (29) boxes of the container.” They are not talking about a full container, it was now 29, boxes in the container.
On the cross-examination, Nimely told the court, “TRH has these images and the evidence that can be provided of the negotiation for the narcotic within the premises of TRH.
Witness Nimely indicated that they will request IT section to retrieve all videos recordings from the month of September 2023, to that of October 5, 2022.
When Witness Nimely, was asked when did he become the general manager of TRH, he replied “I became the general manager of TRH five days before President George Weah received a consignment of Pro-Poor rice for the Republic of Liberia in 2018.
Judge A. Blamo Dixon of Criminal Court “C”, however, reassigned the case to Friday, March 17, 2023 at 10:30 am.
