By Vaye Abel Lepolu
Monrovia – A Kenyan national, Larnard Bonancy Arondo, has been convicted on all three counts of drug importation, criminal conspiracy, and facilitation after attempting to smuggle heroin worth USD 388,890 through the Roberts International Airport (RIA).
Arondo was intercepted on February 1, 2025, after arriving on Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET-933 from Thailand. Security personnel discovered 8.642 kilograms of heroin in her luggage during a routine search. She was arrested alongside Abel S. Gbedia, a Liberian national.
The case, prosecuted by the Ministry of Justice in partnership with the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), is being hailed as a landmark victory in the government’s fight against narcotics.
“This conviction is a strong message that Liberia will not tolerate drug trafficking,” said officials of the LDEA’s interim management team, led by DCP Fitzgerald T.M. Biago of the Liberia National Police (LNP), who is serving as Officer-in-Charge.
The team, which also includes Mr. Ernest T. Tarpeh of the National Security Agency (NSA) as Deputy for Administration/Investigation and ACP Patrick B. Kormazu of the LNP as Deputy for Operations, praised the dedication of their officers and the Ministry of Justice’s prosecution team.
They emphasized that the outcome aligns with their mandate to pursue all drug-related cases, past and present, to ensure justice is delivered.
The conviction comes in the wake of the August 7 nationwide “Say No to Drugs” Campaign, which has intensified public demand for stronger action against Liberia’s escalating drug crisis.
