-Senators Konneh, Snowe Demand Independent Probe into $19.2M Cocaine Bust
Capitol Building, Monrovia – Two prominent Liberian senators have issued a joint statement demanding an independent investigation into the recent cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport (RIA), raising sharp questions about how suspects managed to evade arrest despite the magnitude of the operation.
Senators Edwin Melvin Snowe, Jr., and Amara M. Konneh on Tuesday commended the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), the Liberia National Police (LNP), and Joint Security forces for intercepting approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine valued at US$19.2 million. However, they swiftly pivoted to what they described as “troubling questions” surrounding the investigation’s handling.
“We commend Inspector General Gregory O.W. Coleman and the broader Joint Security Team for bringing charges against five individuals allegedly connected to this trafficking case,” the senators stated. Those charged include Michael U.S. Browne (also known as Rahim or Raheem Bah), Paul J. King, Oscar Browne, Emmanuel Kpah, and Usman Ali.
The senators pointed to glaring inconsistencies in how authorities managed the investigation. According to their statement, two persons of interest—Oscar Browne and Paul J. King—were outside Liberia when the probe commenced. Meanwhile, Michael U.S. Browne and Emmanuel Kpah were reportedly present in the country during the early stages, yet authorities told the public that naming “persons of interest” would compromise the investigation while assuring citizens they had the situation under control.
“If this was accurate, it raises an obvious question: how were these suspects able to evade arrest?” the senators asked.
They further noted that despite the massive drug shipment entering Liberia and being prepared for export through the nation’s only international airport, no suspect appears to have been physically arrested by national security agencies—even though the LDEA Officer-in-Charge publicly stated that persons of interest were in custody.
“The only individual currently in custody who was sent to court yesterday is the suspect who voluntarily boarded a flight, returned to Liberia, and surrendered upon his arrival at RIA,” the statement revealed.
The senators challenged the effectiveness of Liberia’s security institutions, asking pointedly: “How is it possible that a cocaine shipment valued at US$19.2 million could be intercepted without a single suspect being apprehended by our security forces before leaving the country?”
They also questioned Liberia’s credibility in the international fight against organized crime, urging authorities to demonstrate genuine commitment to law enforcement.
Beyond the immediate arrests, the senators demanded that investigators pursue the full criminal network behind the operation. They listed critical unanswered questions, including:
· Who financed the importation of these drugs?
· How did the cocaine enter Liberia—by air, sea, or land?
· Where was it stored, concealed, or repackaged before transport to the airport?
· Who coordinated the logistics of this operation?
· Which financial institutions, if any, were used to launder proceeds?
· Were any public officials or state security personnel involved?
· How did the investigation exonerate Emmanuel Zeon, the drugs transporter?
· How did the investigation exonerate Ruth Gbapaywhea, the RIA screener who allowed the suspicious package to pass security clearance?
“The Liberian people deserve answers to these questions,” the senators declared, emphasizing that drug trafficking poses a direct threat to youth, families, institutions, and national security.
Given the scale of the seizure and its international dimensions, Snowe and Konneh called for an independent investigation conducted with full cooperation and technical support from Liberia’s international partners. They insisted that every individual responsible—from financiers and importers to traffickers, facilitators, and any public officials who may have aided the criminal enterprise—must be identified, investigated, and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
“The Liberian people deserve nothing less than the full truth, complete accountability, and justice,” the statement concluded. “We demand an answer.”
