A ruling has been reserved in the preliminary hearing of the alleged attempted export of 237.6 kilograms of cocaine valued at more than US$19.2 million after lawyers for both the prosecution and the defense concluded their final arguments before Monrovia City Court on Monday.
The prosecution urged the court to find probable cause, arguing that the evidence presented during the hearing links defendant Paul J. King to the shipment allegedly destined for England.
State lawyers told the court that the seized cocaine, the intercepted shipment, a receipt for US$2,150 in shipping fees, King’s statement, and statements obtained from security personnel formed part of the evidence presented during the preliminary hearing.
According to the prosecution, the evidence shows that King was directly connected to the shipment and allegedly attempted to contact individuals after the drugs were discovered. Prosecutors further argued that the cocaine was concealed inside packages labeled as Maggi cubes and Lappa in an attempt to avoid detection.
The State maintained that it had produced two witnesses whose testimonies established probable cause that a crime had been committed.
Prosecutors also alleged that King informed a business associate, identified as Arthur Abdullah, that he had a consignment for shipment to England and instructed him to send two workers to collect it from his residence.
The court heard that when the workers arrived, they met King’s cook, who contacted him to confirm the collection. Prosecutors said King authorized the release of the shipment along with US$2,150 for shipping expenses.
According to the State, the shipment was intercepted during a routine inspection, where security officers allegedly discovered suspicious substances concealed inside the packages. Prosecutors claimed King later instructed those involved to negotiate with security officers, but when those efforts failed, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) was notified and seized the shipment.
The defense, however, insisted that King had no knowledge the package contained illegal drugs.
Defense lawyers argued that King was in the United States when a customer requested that a package be shipped and that he simply directed the customer to his residence for collection.
They further told the court that the same customer, identified as Brown, had previously shipped packages through the same process in 2024 without any narcotics being found. According to the defense, that history gave King no reason to suspect the latest shipment contained cocaine.
The defense also argued that King cooperated fully with investigators throughout the investigation and maintained that the prosecution had failed to present sufficient evidence to establish probable cause.
After hearing both sides, the court reserved its ruling, which will determine whether the case will proceed to trial.
