By Jamesetta D. Williams
Joint security officers have barricaded Private Bar in Joe Bar Community, Paynesville, following criminal charges filed against its owner, Leroy Harries, in connection with Liberia’s ongoing US$317 million suspected cocaine investigation.
The security presence at the entertainment establishment comes a day after Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah announced during the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing that Harries had been charged by the Liberia National Police as part of the expanding drug investigation.
According to Minister Piah, Harries faces multiple charges, including criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation, criminal solicitation, illegal possession of unlicensed illicit substances, unlicensed importation of illicit drugs, money laundering, trafficking, trading and sale of narcotics, and economic sabotage.
The Minister said the investigation remains active and warned that additional arrests are expected as authorities continue efforts to dismantle what investigators describe as an organized drug trafficking network.
Witnesses at the scene on Wednesday reported that joint security personnel were stationed around the premises of Private Bar while alcoholic beverages and other items were being removed from the establishment. Authorities have not yet publicly stated whether the items are being seized as evidence or removed as part of another legal process.
The Liberia National Police has not released additional details regarding the operation or whether further actions are expected against the business.
The charges against Harries form part of the Government’s wider investigation into the seizure of approximately US$317 million worth of suspected cocaine, one of the country’s largest narcotics cases. Government officials have maintained that the investigation is ongoing and are urging the public to allow the legal process to take its course as law enforcement agencies continue their operations.
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