The Stipendiary Magistrate of Monrovia City Court has ruled ordering Global Logistic Services (GLS) Operations Manager Paul Jamaal King and several co-defendants to stand trial after finding probable cause in a case involving the alleged attempted export of 237.6 kilograms of cocaine valued at US$19 million through Roberts International Airport (RIA).
The ruling was handed down on Wednesday by Stipendiary Magistrate L. Ben Barco following a preliminary examination into charges of unlicensed exportation, possession, sale and trafficking of controlled substances, criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation and criminal solicitation.
The court held that prosecutors presented sufficient evidence to establish probable cause that King and the other defendants were involved in an alleged scheme to export cocaine through RIA between June 5 and June 7, 2026.
The drugs allegedly weighed 237.6 kilograms and were valued at approximately US$19 million.
The prosecution relied on the testimony of Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) investigator Colonel Moses L. Meah and Liberia National Police Anti-Narcotics Unit investigator Superintendent Joseph M. Kaiffa. The court also considered documentary evidence, including airway bills, receipts, witness statements, photographs of the seized boxes and samples of the suspected cocaine.
During the hearing, Meah testified that King allegedly arranged the shipment of six boxes declared as “Maggie cubes and lappers,” which investigators later found allegedly concealed cocaine. He further testified that false shipping documents were prepared and fictitious companies were used in an attempt to move the shipment through the airport.
Kaiffa told the court that King instructed the preparation of the shipment’s airway bill and that the boxes were collected from his residence before being transported to the airport. He said security officers became suspicious after discovering that the shipment weighed 237.6 kilograms instead of the declared 200 kilograms. A physical inspection later uncovered suspected narcotics concealed inside the boxes.
Kaiffa also testified that King allegedly attempted to have the shipment returned after it was intercepted, but airport authorities refused the request.
Defense lawyers challenged the prosecution’s case, questioning the investigation, the handling of evidence and inconsistencies surrounding one of the defendants, Michael U.S. Brown. They argued that the prosecution had failed to produce enough evidence to justify sending the case to trial.
Magistrate Barco rejected those arguments, explaining that the purpose of a preliminary hearing is to determine whether probable cause exists, not to decide guilt or innocence. He ruled that the prosecution had met the legal threshold required to move the case forward.
The court also dismissed the defense’s reliance on two historic U.S. court decisions, finding that they were not applicable to determining probable cause under Liberian law.
In his ruling, Magistrate Barco said the evidence pointed to an organized effort to traffic narcotics through Liberia’s airport system and ordered that King and his co-defendants be forwarded to Criminal Court “C” for trial under the Penal Law of Liberia and the Drug Law of 2023.
Lawyers representing King immediately excepted to the ruling and notified the court that they intend to challenge the decision through the appropriate legal process.
