CESTOS CITY, Rivercess County – The Fourteenth Judicial Circuit Court has begun the trial of a 43-year-old man accused of unlicensed possession of controlled substances, a violation of Chapter 14, Section 14.89 (2b) of the Penal Law of Liberia.
Court records show that agents of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) arrested the defendant, Ayouba Sheriff, on August 21 at the ITI Checkpoint in Yarnee District. Authorities allege he was carrying a consignment of marijuana valued at L$240,000.
The case moved forward after Resident Circuit Judge D. Onesimus Banwon rejected a motion from the defense team seeking to suppress key evidence. Defense lawyers argued that the marijuana was illegally taken from Sheriff’s garage without a search warrant and that he lacked legal representation during the initial police investigation.
Judge Banwon, however, ruled that the defense failed to prove the drugs were seized from the garage rather than the checkpoint where the arrest occurred. The judge also addressed the claim of denied legal counsel, explaining that Liberian law allows investigators to proceed if a suspect is informed of their Miranda or constitutional rights and voluntarily waives them—something Sheriff reportedly did by signing the relevant document.
With the motion denied, the court will continue hearing testimony as prosecutors seek to prove that Sheriff knowingly transported the illicit consignment. The trial resumes later this week at the Cestos City courthouse.
