By Jamesetta D. Williams
MONROVA-Liberia has recorded another cocaine bust not at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) but in the VOA Community in Margibi County, with two foreigners from Colombia and Spain currently in state custody in connection to the latest seizure which comes at the time Liberia heightened its fight against international drug trafficking.
The latest cocaine bust comes barely one month after security details at the RIA seized $19 million dollars worth of cocaine destined for Europe, with few Liberians, among them, an official of government charged.
Smog still hovers over the previous discovery and subsequent arrest and indictment of few citizens. The Liberian government is being accused of shielding ‘big names’ said to be connected to the “drugs cartel” operating in Liberia.
Civil society organizations and political leaders have been calling for international investigation into the RIA drugs seizure on grounds that the government is not sincere about the investigations. About three of five persons charged are at large, meaning that they are out of the country and could be tried in absentia.
However, it has been reported that the current Cocaine bust follows a joint security operation in Margibi County, and an extensive investigation launched after the RIA drug seizure.
The two foreign nationals were not named up to press time, and the market value of the cocaine not yet determined.
“We have been investigating since the seizure of the US$19 million drugs at the RIA. Our painstaking investigation and smart police work led us to the stash,” a security source said.
The joint security operation reportedly uncovered millions of dollars’ worth of suspected illegal drugs and resulted in the arrest of the two foreign nationals believed to be connected to the trafficking operation.
Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah Tuesday confirmed that Liberian security institutions have uncovered what authorities believe could be one of the largest drug seizures in the country’s history.
“The Government of Liberia remains unwavering in its commitment to combating drug trafficking and protecting our citizens, especially our young people, from the devastating effects of illegal drugs,” Minister Piah said.
He credited the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), the Joint Security, and other law enforcement institutions for their continued efforts in preventing Liberia from becoming a transit point for international drug trafficking.
Minister Piah said the latest discovery demonstrates that security agencies are working around the clock to identify and dismantle networks involved in the illegal drug trade.
He explained that investigations remain ongoing, with individuals arrested during the operation assisting authorities as they work to identify other persons linked to the trafficking network.
“The Government assures the public that all those responsible will face the full weight of the law,” Piah emphasized.
The latest drug discovery follows the reported seizure of cocaine valued at US$19.2 million at the Roberts International Airport, an incident that triggered increased scrutiny of Liberia’s borders, ports of entry, and national security systems.
The successive drug seizures have renewed calls for stronger surveillance mechanisms at airports, seaports, and other strategic locations to prevent international criminal networks from using Liberia as a transit route.
Security authorities are expected to provide further details as investigations continue, including the quantity and estimated value of the drugs seized, additional arrests, and possible links between the Margibi operation and wider international trafficking activities.
The foreign connection
Foreign connection to the recent drug seizure is said to be concerning.
That Colombia and Spain are in the lead to the latest cocaine seizure has awakened international view of Colombia being destined as a cocaine state, accused by the US and other countries of being behind global cocaine importation.
The February 2023 cocaine seizure
Recall that Liberia witnessed another drug bust in February 2023 after US$100 Million raw cocaine was arrested in Monrovia based on United States security tipoff, with security experts putting the cost at about US$40 Million.
TRH, a firm owned by George Abijaodi and Bildal Ibrahim, two Lebanese merchants, were accused of bringing the consignment.
The drugs were arrested based on the alertness of some whistle-blowers in the port.
However, TRH, the firm in whose containers the US$40 Million drugs were arrested, issued a statement indicating that it raised the red flag that led to the catch.
The statement issued by TRH: “On Monday, January 30, 2023, TRH Trading Corporation, the largest importer of frozen foods in Liberia, alerted authorities of the Liberia Drug “The container seized on Monday is marked MNBU4204747 with products manufactured by BRF, the Brazil Frozen Food company which supplies frozen goods to multiple countries around the world. The drugs seized Monday at the Freeport of Monrovia were stored in 11 packs worth millions of dollars.
“The drugs seizure Monday marks the second time in as many months that TRH Trading has brought to the attention of authorities, attempts by drug smugglers to infiltrate the system in Liberia.
The bust capped a long line of recent smuggling operations in which criminal gangs have been using Liberia to tranship drugs.”
Contrary to the TRH’s press statement, it is evidence that the last US$100 Million drug catch was made possible by intelligence provided by the United States Government, and not the TRH.
Our sources said, in fact, the owners of TRH are allegedly the real culprits and therefore cannot play safe by claiming to be the ones that alerted the government of the drugs. Details to follow.
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