Ex-NSA Official, 5 Others Send To South Beach
By Yassah J. Wright
Five of the 19 defendants indicted alongside former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor were on Thursday, October 8, arrested, brought before Criminal Court ‘C’ at the Temple of Justice, and subsequently sent to South Beach where the Monrovia Central Prison is located.
The accused individuals in a drug trafficking, and money laundering case are being held pending trial.
Among those arrested are Gerald Foley Smith, National Security Agency former Deputy Director for Administration, Jammel V. Jallah, Christian L. Nyantee, Cayce L. Nelson, Albenigo Janior and Sekou, according to information surrounding the court proceedings.
Others are Mark Quiah, former Deputy Director for Operations of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority was arrested late Wednesday night, October 7, and taken to the prison facility. Quiah’s arrest made the number to six in the wake of the indictment.
The development followed a writ of arrest Criminial Court ‘C’ issued on October 7.
The Court ordered the Montserrado County Sheriff, Major Austine Seinavula, or his deputy, to arrest the defendants named in the indictment, and bring them before the court to answer to the allegations.
They were arrested and brought before the court pursuant to the writ, and have since been taken to the Monrovia Central Prison pending further judicial proceedings.
The indictment contains a range of allegations, including unlicensed possession of controlled drugs, or substances; unlicensed importation of controlled drugs, or substances; unlicensed exportation of controlled drugs, or substances; unlicensed sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution, dispatch in transit, and transportation of controlled drugs, or substances; illicit trafficking; criminal conspiracy; criminal facilitation; criminal solicitation; money laundering; possession, and sale of physical objects for lethal use.
The allegations represent some of the most serious criminal charges contained in the indictment, which has drawn former government officials, and other individuals into the ongoing investigation, and prosecution.
The writ of arrest, signed by J. Amos F. Gbowah, Clerk of Criminal Court ‘C,’ commands the Montserrado County Sheriff to arrest the defendants and “forthwith” bring them before the court to answer to the charges contained in the indictment.
The writ states that the arrests are based on an indictment prepared by the Grand Jury of Montserrado County, which was duly selected, empaneled and sworn.
The court further ordered the sheriff to make an official return showing the manner in which each writ was served.
Former Security, Aviation Officials Caught in Case
The inclusion of former senior officials has added significance to the case.
Smith previously served as NSA Deputy Director for Administration, while Quiah served as Deputy Director for Operations at the LCAA.
Their detention comes as the authorities move to enforce the court’s arrest orders against the individuals named in the indictment.
The case also names former Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor among the defendants, placing a former senior government official at the center of a prosecution involving allegations of drug offenses, illicit trafficking and money laundering.
However, the indictment contains allegations only, and none of the defendants is guilty unless proven so by a court of competent jurisdiction.
