“Quati’s conviction has reportedly intensified ongoing into the cartel’s scheme. She’s now seated in prison to make more confessions by exposing the names of those officials connected to the entire drug loop,”—a security source.
Resident Judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Margibi County, Her Honor Victoria Duncan, has sentenced one of the key defendants in the high-profile Roberts International Airport (RIA) drug trafficking case.
Defendant Quati Dolo was sentenced to five years following the acceptance of a plea-bargaining agreement reached between the prosecution, and the defense.
The sentence was handed down after Quati formally pleaded guilty to all charges brought against her by Republic of Liberia.
She admitted her involvement in the drug trafficking scheme since the seizure of a large quantity of narcotics at the airport in June.
Court records indicate that the plea bargain was negotiated between state prosecutors, and the defense, allowing Quati to accept responsibility for her role in the case instead of proceeding with a full trial.
After reviewing the agreement, and satisfying herself that the guilty plea was made voluntarily, and with full understanding of its consequences, Judge Duncan accepted the plea arrangement and meanwhile reduced her sentence to five years.
As a result, the court sentenced Quati to serve five years at a prison facility designated by the Ministry of Justice. The case stems from the interception of illegal drugs at Roberts International Airport (RIA), prompting a broad investigation that led to multiple arrests, and criminal charges.
During the proceedings, prosecutors informed the court that Quati Dolo had accepted full responsibility for the offenses charged, paving the way for the negotiated disposition of the case.
Authorities at the Ministry of Justice has repeatedly maintained that it remains committed to aggressively prosecute narcotics-related offenses as part of the government’s efforts to combat drug trafficking, and organized crime. With Quati now convicted, and sentenced, attention is expected to shift to the remaining defendants in the case, whose proceedings continue before the court. The RIA drug trafficking case has remained under intense public scrutiny due to the scale of the alleged narcotics operation, and its implications for national security, and the fight against transnational drug trafficking.
Source: DTV-Liberia
