6 DEA officers indicted

Six officers of Liberia’s Drug Enforcement Agency or DEA, including a county commander have been jointly indicted on three counts of murder, burglary and theft of property, more than two months after police charged them for the alleged killing of a 30-year-old man – Darlington Wleh.

Grand jurors at the 15th judicial circuit court of River Gee County in southeast Liberia drew the three-count indictment against DEA’s River Gee County commander, Isaac Kanneh (earlier called Karmah) and five Action Agents, who were allegedly under his command in an operation that caused the live of the late Wleh.

On Saturday, 20 June River Gee County Attorney, Wesseh A. Wesseh, told this paper via mobile phone that the other five indictees include defendants Nawa N. Saylee, Patrick Dixon, Mark B. Saylee, Jerry Folfleh and Alex Collins.

The officers are expected to face trial at the 15th judicial circuit court in Fish Town, River Gee this August Term of Court, AD 2015.

Under the command of co-defendant Kanneh at 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 4, the indictees allegedly entered a River Gee Town of Dartorken in Tienpo District and raided several homes of gold and cash.

Attorney Wesseh says the defendants made away with a property value of L$190,000, including cash and gold, plus US$2,000 cash.

They were alleged to have flogged physically challenged Darlington Wleh, in the process due to his refusal to allow them take away his DVD on which he and his visitors were viewing movies.

The deceased allegedly became a handicap after falling into a pit at a gold mine.

Victim Wleh died on Tuesday, April 7, days after being flogged by the DEA agents led by commander Kanneh.

The DEA agents allegedly discovered a single barrel gun in victim Wleh’s house during their search “without court warrant” spree and allegedly beat him with the gun butt.

A coroner jury immediately set up after the incident found that victim Wleh had bruises or cuts all over his body; blood oozing from his nose; foam from his mouth and nose and blood on his head, and made a conclusion that there was foul play.

Eye-witnesses in Dartorken Town told police investigators that the suspects allegedly flogged victim Wleh; demanded him to give them his DVD and allegedly sprayed his house with tear gas where he and some five visitors were viewing movie.

In a related development, Attorney Wesseh says a convict Benedict Dweh who broke jail in Fish Town while serving his prison term there for rape, has again been indicted this time for allegedly murdering another lady identified as Patience Doe.

After being convicted in May 2014 at the end of a rape trial, Attorney Wesseh said convict Dweh allegedly broke jail in Fish Town three months ago and made his way from River Gee County to another southeastern county of Grand Kru, where he allegedly obtained a single barrel gun.

Convict Dweh allegedly returned to River Gee with the single barrel gun and killed victim Patience Doe following some disagreement with her; and his alleged action stirred fears in the area with commuters finding it difficult to go through bushes for their usual daily activities.

The convict was awaiting sentence in Fish Town when he broke jail. Attorney Wesseh says he is currently in custody at the Zwedru Correction Palace in Grand Gedeh County, awaiting trial in the August Term of Court expected in Fish Town. By Winston W. Parley – Editing by Jonathan Browne