Monrovia – Liberian authorities announced the seizure of nearly four tonnes of cocaine valued at $317 million in a major drug bust which included the arrest of two foreign nationals.
The Liberian National Police posted photos of a large open-bed truck carrying away what appeared to be bags of drugs or other evidence following the Tuesday raid.
The operation took place at a location on the road leading to Roberts International Airport, which is about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the capital Monrovia.
The operation “revealed an organised, sophisticated, complex and well-funded narcotics trafficking network” that may have been working in Liberia for more than six years, the attorney general and minister of justice said in a joint statement.
They said that investigators had recovered “approximately 3,971 kilograms (8,755 pounds) of processed plates of suspected cocaine”, with an estimated street value of approximately US$317.7 million.
The seizure comes on the heels of another major drug bust, which occurred at the airport in June.
The bust involved 237.6 kilograms (524 pounds) of cocaine that had been presented as ordinary commercial cargo, including Maggi seasoning cubes and lappas (traditional clothing), for export.
Five men and the logistical company where one worked have been charged in the case.
Following the airport seizure, President Joseph Boakai vowed to “expose and destroy” the networks behind the country’s drug trafficking, announcing a coordinated investigation to ensure that “every individual found responsible is fully accountable under the law”.
West Africa is a transit point for cocaine produced in Latin America and shipped to consumer countries in Europe, according to Swiss NGO the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.
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Source: AFP
