Five Charged in Liberia After Major Cocaine Seizure
Liberian authorities have charged five suspects in connection with one of the largest drug seizures in the country's history, after police discovered more than 200 kilograms of cocaine at the international airport in Monrovia. The shipment, falsely declared as Maggi seasoning cubes, was intercepted on June 8 and has an estimated street value of $19 million (£14.2 million).
President Orders Investigation
President Joseph Boakai ordered a joint investigation by the police and the national anti-drug agency following the bust. “Liberia will not be used as a safe haven, transit point, warehouse, financial centre or operational base by criminal networks engaged in narcotics trafficking,” Boakai said at the time.
Suspects Named After Delay
The delay in naming the suspects sparked controversy in parliament, with Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman summoned to a special senate hearing. Public speculation grew that the investigation was being tampered with to protect powerful Liberian citizens. On Saturday, Coleman announced that evidence suggested the complicity of the logistics company that handled the shipment. He named the suspects, who face charges including transportation, possession and illicit trafficking of controlled substances, and criminal conspiracy.
The key suspect, the operations manager of the logistics firm, is in custody in Monrovia. Coleman said arrest warrants would be issued in collaboration with Interpol for the others still at large. One suspect, believed to have been attending an event in China at the time of the bust, has not returned to Liberia. Prosecutors also released the Dutch phone number of a UK-based suspect and his house address with a Birmingham postcode.
West Africa as a Staging Post
The bust highlights the role of West Africa as a transit point for narcotics between South America and Europe. In October 2022, authorities intercepted a shipping container at Monrovia seaport containing 520 kilograms of cocaine valued at $100 million (£74.86 million). One of the suspects named on Saturday had reportedly been released from prison after being arrested in connection with another drug-related case in 2024.
In neighbouring Sierra Leone, one of Europe's most wanted drug dealers has been living in Freetown since at least 2022 and is in a serious relationship with the president's daughter, according to a Guardian investigation in February 2025. In May, Spanish police, working with US and Dutch officials, confiscated 45 tonnes of cocaine worth €812 million (£694 million) in what a Madrid court described as Europe's largest-ever cocaine bust. Authorities said the Comoros-flagged cargo vessel, raided near the Canary Islands, had left Freetown with Libya as its official destination. Another drug shipment from Freetown was seized en route to Spain in February.
