IPNEWS: A 12-member jury at the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Margibi County has returned a guilty verdict against two senior officers of the Liberian Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) and a Nigerian national in connection with a major drug trafficking case involving US$181,008 and LD$63,201,600.
The defendants have been identified as Joe Logan, a senior-ranking LDEA officer assigned at the Roberts International Airport (RIA); Lovette Flowers, a senior female LDEA officer; and Tony Obi, a Nigerian national.
The guilty verdict followed approximately two hours of intense closing arguments between state prosecutors and defense lawyers after a month-long trial.
According to the prosecution, the State presented four witnesses who allegedly linked the three defendants to the drug trafficking operation.
Prosecutors further told the court that Quita Dolo Kosso and another LDEA officer, Abdullah Sherrif, who were allegedly involved in the same drug syndicate, had admitted to their involvement and were subsequently sentenced to five years and two years in prison, respectively.
The prosecution alleged that 14 plates of cocaine were confiscated from the drug operation and that defendants Joe Logan and Lovette Flowers, both LDEA officers, allegedly took four plates from the proceeds of the seized drugs and sold them on the black market.
State prosecutors also alleged that LDEA officers received US$10,000 in bribes from members of the drug syndicate in an effort to compromise Liberia’s fight against illicit drugs.
Addressing the jury, prosecutors argued that law enforcement officers, particularly those assigned to combat narcotics, should not become participants in organized drug trafficking.
“The last people ever to be involved in drug crime are LDEA officers because they were trained to detect and fight drug crime.”
The prosecution urged the jury to return guilty verdicts, arguing that doing so would serve as a deterrent to other law enforcement officers who might consider becoming involved in organized drug-related activities.
DEFENSE RESPONDS
Meanwhile, defense lawyers urged the jury to acquit all three defendants, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The defense maintained that inconsistencies existed in the prosecution’s evidence, particularly concerning the quantity of cocaine allegedly confiscated.
According to the defense, investigators initially established that 10 plates of cocaine were seized, while the prosecution presented evidence referring to 14 plates.
The defense argued that the alleged difference constituted a contradiction or variance in the witnesses’ testimonies and should therefore create reasonable doubt in favor of the defendants.
BACKGROUND
Court records indicate that the drugs were initially intercepted from convict Quita Dolo Kosso in July 2025, after she reportedly traveled from Thailand to Liberia through the Roberts International Airport aboard a Kenya Airways flight.
