Monrovia, Liberia – The owner of the Private bar entertainment center has been officially charged by the Government of Liberia with multiple major criminal charges as authorities take action against a well-established drug trafficking network that is believed to have operated in the country for years.
Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah made the statement on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, during the Ministry of Information’s customary press conference in Monrovia. The minister noted that while security forces continue to broaden their investigation into what the government claims is a well-established narcotics organization, George Harris has already been charged.
Minister Piah informed reporters that George Harris, the proprietor of the Private Bar Entertainment Center in Paynesville, has been charged with the following offenses: economic sabotage, money laundering, criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation, criminal solicitation, unlicensed possession of illicit drug substances, unlicensed importation of illicit drug or substances, trafficking, trading, distribution, and sale of illicit drugs.
According to Piah, the allegations against Harris are just one aspect of a larger national investigation that has connected a number of significant drug seizures, such as the US$19 million cocaine case and the more recent drug seizure worth about US$300 million. He emphasized that rather than seeing the cases as discrete episodes, investigators are analyzing them as connected cases.
While the inquiry is ongoing, Mr. Harris has already been charged. Since 2018, there has been an established drug-related activity throughout the nation, which indicates that the cartel is deeply ingrained, according to Piah. The Information Minister clarified that the government’s goal goes beyond bringing charges against those who have a direct connection to drugs that have been seized.
According to him, officials are committed to breaking up the whole criminal network that finances, imports, and distributes illicit drugs across Liberia. These discoveries or seizures have been addressed separately. He noted that “Because you want to find the source of the substance that was confiscated and prosecute the offender, the scope is larger. You also want to make sure that the root that the cartel has taken here is uprooted.”
Piah revealed that investigators are still looking for more individuals and cautioned that when more evidence becomes available, more arrests and convictions are anticipated. Regardless of status, he underlined that anyone found to have taken part in the drug trafficking network will be prosecuted under Liberian law.
The minister concluded by reassuring the public that the government’s anti-drug campaign is still ongoing and that more indictments are anticipated as investigators pursue every lead. “So we are looking forward to the additional individuals who will be charged as the government continues its investigation,” Piah added.
“There will be an increasing number of people brought in for questioning as the security investigation uncovered, and where the facts are established linking individuals to the 19 million drugs or the 300 million drugs or the cartel operation in general.”
Following a string of record cocaine seizures that have received national and worldwide attention, the most recent accusations highlight the Boakai administration’s continued efforts to disrupt global drug trafficking operations. In an effort to fully understand the scope of the suspected cartel’s activities in Liberia, authorities said their investigations are still ongoing and have not ruled out making more arrests.
