Police officials in Liberia faced intense questioning Wednesday during a public senate hearing, urging patience as they promised imminent arrests following widespread criticism over the lack of progress in the investigation of a major airport cocaine bust.
Inspector General Gregory Coleman of the Liberia National Police assured the full senate plenary that arrests were forthcoming. “We have elevated individuals from persons of interest to suspects, and we will make arrests in the coming days,” he stated.
The hearing was convened amid growing public outcry after authorities seized 237.6 kilograms of cocaine at Roberts International Airport last month. The confiscation, valued at approximately $19 million, was initially touted as a breakthrough in the fight against transnational drug trafficking.
Director General Fitzgerald T. M. Biago of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency had declared, “We are sending a clear message to international cartels: Liberia will not be a playground for your illicit trade. Our borders are under constant surveillance.”
However, nearly a month after the discovery of 198 compressed cocaine plates hidden in six plastic cargo boxes slated for export on a Brussels Airlines flight, the investigation has seen little visible progress. Authorities have released no official updates, while leaked details have fueled speculation of a cover-up on social media and across the nation.
Rev. Kortu Brown, a former head of the Liberian Council of Churches, expressed public concern, warning, “Shielding drug traffickers is a major problem. We urge the Drug Enforcement Agency and police not to protect anyone caught in this trade.”
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime notes that West Africa’s coastline, including Liberia, is a key transit zone for cocaine moving from South America to European markets.
Senators Amara Konneh and Edwin Melvin Snowe echoed public frustration, stating that the investigative process “appears unacceptably slow.” They pointed to limited official communication, no arrests of principal suspects, and a troubling silence from security institutions.
In response, President Joseph Boakai last week formed a Joint National Security Investigative Task Force to probe how the cocaine shipment bypassed airport security. The Ministry of Justice has since named at least 10 persons of interest, including the general manager of an express handling service, a logistics company CEO, an airport intelligence officer, and several security personnel.
One person of interest, Paul J. King—general manager of GLS Menzies, which operates the warehouse where the cocaine was found—has denied involvement and requested witness protection after surrendering to investigators. King reportedly identified a man named Rahim Bah as the shipper, but phone records traced the number he provided to a former airport communications staffer who was arrested in 2024 for allegedly attempting to traffic over $1 million worth of methamphetamine on a Brussels Airlines flight.
Concerns have grown that this former staffer was not listed as a person of interest, nor was another individual seen on CCTV completing a bank transaction linked to the drug shipment. Coleman told the senate that there is a “massive manhunt” for the former airport employee, who remains at large.