Authorities in Liberia have charged five suspects in connection with one of the largest drug seizures in the country's history, after police discovered more than 200kg of cocaine at the international airport in Monrovia. The shipment, valued at approximately $19m (£14.2m), was falsely declared as Maggi seasoning cubes.
Details of the seizure
The cocaine was discovered on 8 June at Roberts International Airport. The suspects were not named until a press briefing on Saturday, where Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman provided details. “This was a serious transnational cocaine trafficking operation using Liberia’s aviation and logistics system as a channel for organised crime,” Coleman said. He added that evidence linked the shipment to a similar one processed in May.
Presidential response and parliamentary row
The drug bust caused uproar in Liberia, prompting President Joseph Boakai to order a combined investigation by the police and the national anti-drug agency. “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 stated.
The delay in naming the suspects sparked a row in parliament, where Coleman was summoned to a special senate hearing. Public speculation grew that the investigation was being tampered with to protect powerful Liberian citizens.
Suspects and charges
On Saturday, Coleman announced that evidence suggested the complicity of the logistics company that handled the shipment. The key suspect, the operations manager of the firm, is in custody in Monrovia. Arrest warrants will be issued in collaboration with Interpol for other suspects at large. One suspect believed to be attending an event in China has not returned. Prosecutors released the Dutch phone number of a UK-based suspect and his house address with a Birmingham postcode.
The suspects are being charged for transportation, possession, and illicit trafficking of controlled substances, as well as criminal conspiracy.
Regional context
The bust reinforces reports that West Africa, with porous land and sea borders, has become a major staging post for narcotics moving between South America and Europe. In October 2022, authorities intercepted a shipping container at Monrovia seaport with 520kg of cocaine valued at $100m. One suspect named on Saturday was reportedly 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 taken refuge in Freetown since at least 2022 and is in a serious relationship with the president's daughter, as revealed by a Guardian investigation in February 2025. In May, Spanish police confiscated 45 tonnes of cocaine worth €812m in Europe's largest-ever cocaine bust. The Comoros-flagged cargo vessel raided near the Canary Islands had left Freetown with Libya as its official destination. Another drug shipment out of Freetown was seized en route to Spain in February.
