Monrovia, Liberia – In the wake of the recent discovery of cocaine in Duazon, Margibi County, Senator Amara Konneh, Chairman of the Public Accounts and Audit Committee of the Liberian Senate, expressed grave concerns about Liberia’s expanding role in international drug trafficking. The senator made the statement following a joint security operation on Tuesday, July 21, that searched a suspected drug stash house in Duazon and resulted in the arrest of a Spanish and Colombian national.
The arrests are the first detentions overseas in connection with the ongoing investigation into the cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport (RIA) earlier this month, which was valued at over US$19 million. In a posting on his official Facebook page, Senator Konneh responded to the most recent development by praising the security forces but emphasizing that local accomplices were necessary for foreign traffickers to operate in Liberia.
Anyone who downplays the growing threat of drug trafficking is missing clear warning signs, the senator from Gbarpolu County said. Konneh claims that those who minimize this danger are missing the signs that drug lords are using Liberia as a safe haven. The country’s youth, national security, and international standing are all gravely threatened by the drug trade.
He stressed that combating drug trafficking must be the nation’s top priority. Everyone is concerned about this, Konneh said. He called for more aggressive and concerted attempts to dismantle the country’s drug trafficking networks. Investigators claim that most of the primary suspects in the airport raid, including the alleged mastermind, left Liberia before arrest orders could be executed.
Since then, opposition leaders have criticized the Boakai administration for pursuing the guilty too slowly and selectively, drawing significant political and public attention to the issue. Senator Konneh urged the Joint Security Task Force to find and capture the Liberian financiers and accomplices who are reportedly aiding the global drug trafficking organization, even if the arrests of the Colombian and Spanish nationals mark a significant advancement in the investigation. The precise amount and estimated street value of the cocaine found during Tuesday’s raid have not yet been made public by the authorities, who claim that the drugs are still being tallied while the investigation is ongoing.
