By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA – Justice Minister Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh has publicly identified ten individuals linked to the interception of 237.6 kilograms of cocaine at Roberts International Airport, with three key suspects now at large. Speaking at a Friday news conference at the Ministry of Justice in Mamba Point, Minister Tweh named a roster of airport personnel and company executives allegedly complicit in the elaborate smuggling scheme.
Those identified include Philip Yeoh, Security Manager at GLS Menzies; Festus S. Musa, a cargo handler for the same firm; Ruth Gbapaywhea and Geraldine Zeon, both scanner agents at the Roberts International Airport; Archie Nyanfor, a cargo handler with Express Handling Services; Arthur B. Abdullai, Chief Executive Officer of Express Handling Services; and Mohammed Gbowrah, Security Director of the airport.
Three additional suspects remain at large: Paul J. King, CEO of GLS Menzies; Oscar Browne, Chief of Intelligence for RIA Security; and Emmanuel T. Zeon, a transporter for Express Handling Services. The case originates from a June 8 interception when authorities discovered 198 compressed plates of cocaine weighing approximately 237.6 kilograms hidden inside six cargo boxes destined for Europe via Brussels Airlines.
The following day, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency announced arrests, though the full scope of the conspiracy only began to emerge during subsequent testimony before the House of Representatives on Tuesday, where top officials including LDEA Director Fitzgerald Biago and Minister Tweh briefed lawmakers on the investigation’s progress.
John Buway, Deputy Managing Director of the Liberia Airport Authority, provided lawmakers with a detailed account of the initial discovery, explaining that vigilant screeners detected anomalies during routine cargo inspection. “For example, you have hair, human hair, in the cargo. The images in the X-ray machine are showing paint,” Buway testified, describing the suspicious inconsistency that prompted screeners to flag the shipment for further examination.
He noted that the weight discrepancies and unusual X-ray imaging provided sufficient grounds for concern, leading airport personnel to set the cargo aside and alert national security authorities. “We immediately ask the national security apparatus to investigate,” Buway emphasized. “That is where our responsibility stops.”
Minister Tweh further disclosed that the investigation has uncovered significant transnational dimensions, with the operation apparently connected to organized criminal networks operating across multiple countries. The Justice Minister raised urgent questions about how the cocaine entered Liberia in the first place, noting that the substantial quantity seized for export clearly indicated the narcotics had crossed into the country through some point of entry, prompting immediate scrutiny of border security vulnerabilities.
The drug seizure has drawn sharp focus to Liberia’s ongoing struggle with substance abuse, as an estimated 13 percent of the nation’s population engages in illicit drug abuse, while up to 20 percent of Liberian youth suffer from substance addiction. These rates, driven by post-conflict trauma and widespread unemployment, significantly exceed global averages and underscore the devastating impact of narcotics trafficking on the country’s social fabric.
Meanwhile, President Joseph N. Boakai delivered a Tuesday evening address to the nation, promising to hunt down and dismantle the criminal network responsible for what he described as one of the largest drug interdictions in Liberian history. The president announced that authorities had seized approximately 247.6 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value exceeding $19 million, calling the interception a stark reminder that transnational criminal enterprises continue to view West Africa as a transit corridor for dangerous drugs and illicit proceeds.
“Though I maintain that Liberia is open for business, Liberia is not open for business of drug trafficking,” Boakai declared, striking a firm tone as he vowed that the country would not become a safe haven, transit point, warehouse, financial center, or operational base for any criminal network engaged in narcotic trafficking. The president made clear that his administration will identify, pursue, and bring to justice any individual, group, or network that seeks to exploit Liberian territory, corrupt its institutions, or endanger the nation’s youth.
