MONROVIA, Montserrado – The Monrovia City Court has incarcerated a correction officer working at the Monrovia Central Prison for allegedly smuggling marijuana into the prison facility.

Robert Philip, 38, of the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation was incarcerated at the Monrovia Central Prison on Wednesday, after being charged with illegal possession of controlled substances.

He was arrested in March, after being found with the illicit narcotics while entering the prison and has been under investigation by the Bureau of Corrections and the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency. The drug worth at least L$11,000 (US$65).

The preliminary investigations established that an inmate identified as Anthony Sopah had given Phillip L$8,000 (US$47.3) to purchase the narcotics for him and smuggle it into the prison to be sold to fellow inmates.

The defendant admitted to the commission of the crime and pleaded for mercy. He told investigators that while on his way to the prison, where he is assigned, he was requested by an unidentified lady to assist her to deliver a bundle of flower to a relative incarcerated at the facility. He said he did not check the plastic to verify and proceeded to the prison.

“I, Robert Philip, [I’m] appealing to the investigation team to please forgive me. I promise that I will never ever get involved in such again, because of my family,” he said.

“I never knew that the flower the woman gave me at the entrance had drugs in it, because I [would] never transport any illegal substance in the compound.”

He is currently awaiting trial.

This not the first time illicit drugs have been found at the Monrovia Central Prison. In June 2018, at L$1.7 million (US$10,000) worth of drugs, including cocaine, was found in the prison facility.

The incident led to the immediate dismissal of a correction officer at the Ministry of Justice, while four others were being sought for allegedly smuggling the drugs.

Featured photo by Eric Opa Doue