Monrovia – Public pressure is mounting on the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) and the Ministry of Justice to disclose the identities of individuals connected to the recent seizure of approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine valued at more than US$19 million at Roberts International Airport (RIA), amid growing accusations that authorities are protecting influential figures behind one of Liberia’s largest drug busts.
The controversy has ignited a national debate over transparency, accountability, and the government’s commitment to dismantling organized drug trafficking networks. Opposition politicians, civil society activists, and protest organizers are demanding that authorities reveal the identities of those allegedly responsible for the shipment.
Leading the calls for disclosure is the STAND-led Liberia Protest Coalition, organizer of the planned July 17 “LEAD OR LEAVE” protest, which has issued a 48-hour ultimatum demanding that the LDEA publicly identify all individuals and entities linked to the cocaine seizure.
In a strongly worded statement, Mulbah K. Morlu, Chairman and Lead Campaigner of the movement, dismissed the LDEA’s explanation that the case involves transnational organized crime and therefore requires confidentiality.
“The STAND-Led Liberia Protest Coalition hereby gives the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency a 48-hour ultimatum to publicly disclose the identities of all individuals and entities connected to the reported US$19 million cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport,” Morlu declared.
“We reject as inadequate the LDEA’s justification that this matter involves transnational organized crime and therefore requires prolonged secrecy. Such explanations cannot become a cover for withholding critical information from the public.”
Morlu argued that accountability must extend beyond those who physically handled the drugs to include anyone who financed, facilitated, coordinated, protected, or profited from the operation.
Calls for Transparency Grow
Adding his voice to the debate, political commentator and activist Dr. Clarence R. Pearson Sr. urged authorities to provide regular public updates without jeopardizing the investigation.
“The Ministry of Justice and LDEA should provide regular public updates without compromising evidence,” Pearson said. “They should confirm the number of suspects, their procedural status, the court handling the matter, the charges filed, the evidence-preservation process, and whether international law enforcement partners are involved.”
According to Pearson, transparency does not necessarily require revealing every investigative detail but rather assuring the public that the case remains active and is progressing toward prosecution.
“Public trust does not require revealing every investigative detail. It requires proving that the case is alive, supervised, and moving toward prosecution,” he added.
Similar concerns have emerged on Capitol Hill, where Representative Musa Hassan Bility of Nimba County District #7 questioned why authorities have not publicly identified the alleged masterminds behind the trafficking operation.
Addressing fellow lawmakers, Bility distinguished between those who physically handled the shipment and those who may have orchestrated the operation.
“Today, I have my son in jail. He did not import drugs here, and he has no capacity to export drugs. He’s in jail because he handled it. So, we said he should face the consequences,” Bility said.
“But the people who supplied our children and streets are going free. Not a single person has been arrested.”
Bility argued that preparing cargo for international shipment requires the involvement of numerous individuals and institutions, making broader scrutiny necessary.
“Cargo preparation involves so many people. To keep that information secret is a disservice to this country,” he said.
“The LDEA must be made to come here and provide full details to this House as to who’s behind this drug movement. The future of our country will remain in complete danger if we don’t find out who is behind this drug movement.”
LDEA Defends Secrecy
Despite growing criticism, the LDEA insists that releasing names at this stage could compromise the investigation.
In a statement responding to public concerns, the agency said investigators must balance transparency with operational requirements necessary to dismantle a sophisticated criminal network.
“The Agency is aware of growing calls on social media for the immediate publication of the names of individuals believed to be connected to the shipment,” the LDEA said.
“While the public’s interest in transparency and accountability is both legitimate and understandable, investigators must ensure that operational, intelligence, and evidentiary requirements are not compromised.”
The agency warned that prematurely identifying persons of interest, suspects, cooperating witnesses, or individuals under active investigation could alert additional suspects, facilitate the destruction of evidence, interfere with intelligence-gathering efforts, undermine international law-enforcement cooperation, prejudice future prosecutions, and expose investigators and witnesses to potential risks.
Defending the agency before lawmakers, LDEA Officer-in-Charge and Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitzgerald T.M. Biago emphasized the complexity of the case.
“In this era where technology supports criminal investigation, please also be informed that this is not a regular criminal investigation,” Biago said.
“It is a transnational organized crime that has layers, contacts, surrogates, and elements. Even a country with much more sophistication requests time to investigate such organized crime.”
He added: “All we are asking is for time to put our pieces together and make an informed determination.”
FrontPage Africa Investigation Reveals Multiple Detentions
Amid the official silence, FrontPage Africa has learned that several individuals have already been detained and are undergoing questioning by the LDEA.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, those being questioned include airport security personnel, customs officers, immigration officials, and other airport employees.
Sources further allege that the shipment was delivered by an individual identified as Emmanuel T. Zeon and was destined for transport via Brussels Airlines. The shipper was reportedly listed as Emre Venn Group of Companies on 20th Street, Sinkor, while the consignee was identified as Usman Ali of Birmingham, England.
FrontPage Africa also learned that Mohamed Gbowrah, Manager of the Airport Security Department, has reportedly been detained since the seizure. Sources claim investigators are examining allegations that several packages from the shipment may have escaped detection before authorities intercepted the remaining consignment.
Other airport personnel reportedly assigned during the shipment’s processing include Geraldine Zeon, Ruth Gbapaywea, and Henry King.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed these details.
Liberia’s Growing Drug Crisis
The latest seizure comes against the backdrop of a worsening drug crisis in Liberia, where addiction to kush, marijuana, tramadol, cocaine, and other substances continues to devastate communities, particularly among young people.
Experts say Liberia remains vulnerable because of its location within the West African cocaine corridor, long used by traffickers moving narcotics from South America to European markets.
Liberia’s extensive coastline, porous borders, limited screening capacity, and longstanding governance challenges make the country attractive to transnational criminal networks seeking transit routes for illicit drugs.
The concerns are not new.
In October 2022, Liberian authorities seized approximately 520 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of US$100 million. Several suspects were arrested, and the case was initially hailed as a breakthrough in the country’s anti-narcotics campaign.
However, the case later collapsed in court when a jury acquitted the accused, a verdict that sparked public outrage and raised concerns about the country’s ability to successfully prosecute major drug-trafficking cases.
Critics argue that the lessons from the 2022 case make transparency even more important in the current investigation.
Opposition Questions Government’s Motives
Opposition leader Simeon Freeman, Political Leader of the Movement for Progressive Change (MPC), also challenged the LDEA’s rationale for withholding names.
Freeman praised the agency for making the seizure but described its explanation for secrecy as unconvincing.
“The LDEA key reason for non-disclosure of names involved with the estimated US$50 million drug catch is to preserve the integrity of evidence. This reasoning is untenable,” Freeman argued.
“A drug bust is a drug bust. The traffickers must be immediately revealed to enable public information support to the LDEA.”
Freeman contended that once authorities publicly announce a major seizure, the entire trafficking network is already alerted, making secrecy ineffective.
“So, at this stage, the only plausible reason for the delay is the theory that this bust is linked to President Joseph Boakai and cronies,” he alleged.
He warned that if the delay continues, he may seek judicial intervention to compel the LDEA to release information it holds in the public interest.
Pressure Mounts
As public scrutiny intensifies, the central question remains unanswered: who financed, coordinated, and benefited from Liberia’s largest cocaine seizure?
While authorities insist that patience is necessary to protect an ongoing transnational investigation, critics argue that continued secrecy risks eroding public confidence and fueling suspicions that influential individuals are being shielded from scrutiny.
For now, the battle between transparency and investigative secrecy continues, with the government under increasing pressure to demonstrate that the investigation is targeting not only those caught handling the drugs, but also the powerful actors allegedly operating behind the scenes.
