Published: July 10, 2026
MONROVIA – The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency’s chief investigator told the Monrovia City Court on Wednesday that Paul J. King, operations manager of Global Logistics Services, orchestrated an international drug trafficking network that used legitimate shipping businesses as cover for the attempted export of approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine valued at more than US$19 million.
The testimony from Col. Moses L. Meah, the prosecution’s principal witness, came as the preliminary hearing into one of Liberia’s largest alleged cocaine trafficking cases entered its evidentiary stage, moving the State a step closer to establishing whether probable cause exists to send the matter to Criminal Court for trial.
The case involves King, Michael U.S. Browne, also known as Rahim Bah and Polo Bah, Usman Ali, Oscar Brown, Emmanuel Kpah and several other individuals yet to be identified. The defendants face multiple charges, including unlicensed exportation of controlled drugs, illicit trafficking, criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation, criminal solicitation, unlicensed sale and possession of controlled substances, and the unlawful transportation of narcotics.
According to a police charge sheet dated July 6, 2026, King, a Liberian national residing in the VP Road Community, Montserrado County, was charged in his capacity as operations manager of GLS with violations of Liberia’s Controlled Drugs and Substances Act and Penal Law.
Meah testified that investigators established that King contacted Arthur B. Abdullai, general manager of Express Handling Services (EHS), through WhatsApp on June 5, 2026, requesting that air shipment documentation be prepared for six boxes destined for England. King allegedly instructed Abdullai to collect the shipment from his residence on Old Road, VP Road, Sinkor.
Before the shipment was collected, Meah said, King’s alleged associate, Emmanuel Kpah, delivered the six boxes to King’s residence, where they were received by King’s cook, Marie Gbardiah, who also allegedly accepted US$2,150 in processing fees. EHS personnel later collected both the packages and the cash and transported them to Roberts International Airport for shipment aboard a Brussels Airlines flight bound for Europe.
During routine processing, GLS Menzies workers reportedly detected inconsistencies between the weight recorded on the air waybill and the actual weight of the cargo, prompting a referral to airport security for mandatory X-ray screening. Ruth Gbapaywhea, an airport security officer, observed suspicious dark and blurry images inconsistent with the declared contents and alerted her superiors, who ordered the shipment isolated rather than loaded onto the scheduled flight. Because revised shipping documentation arrived after the flight deadline, the cargo remained at the airport pending further examination.
A physical inspection ordered on June 7 allegedly uncovered cocaine concealed inside the six boxes. Meah told the court the substance was tested using United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime testing kits and returned positive results for cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding US$19 million.
After the seizure, Meah alleged, King was informed by a supervisor at GLS Menzies and subsequently attempted to negotiate the release of the shipment by offering money to security personnel. The witness also claimed fugitive defendant Oscar Brown participated in efforts to secure the release of the seized cargo.
Meah further alleged that Browne, whom he described as King’s supervisor, was previously investigated and prosecuted on drug-related offenses in 2024 and operated under multiple identities as part of the alleged trafficking syndicate. Those assertions were presented as part of the prosecution’s evidence and remain subject to judicial determination.
The prosecution introduced several documentary exhibits, including King’s written statement, witness statements, shipping receipts, airway bills, photographs of the seized packages and the official charge sheet. The court marked each document for identification and confirmation during the proceedings.
Defense lawyers vigorously challenged portions of the prosecution’s evidence, objecting to several questions and arguing procedural irregularities, including hearsay, the admissibility of documentary evidence and alleged violations of evidentiary rules. The court overruled several objections while sustaining others, with defense counsel noting exceptions to preserve the issues for possible review.
Earlier in the proceedings, the defense exercised its statutory right to a preliminary examination, while the prosecution requested that the defendants remain detained at the Monrovia Central Prison pending the filing of criminal appearance bonds. The court granted the request for a preliminary examination, which has now entered the evidentiary stage.
Following the admission and confirmation of the prosecution’s documentary evidence, the State announced it had concluded the direct testimony of its first witness. The hearing is expected to continue with the defense cross-examining the witness before the court determines whether sufficient probable cause exists to forward the matter to Criminal Court for trial.
As with all criminal proceedings, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of competent jurisdiction.
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