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Liberia’s President Joseph Boakai has dismissed 12 government officials and recommended several others for investigation following a series of major drug seizures that have intensified public pressure for stronger action against narcotics trafficking in the country.
The officials removed include senior figures from airport administration, law enforcement agencies and national security institutions, according to a statement issued by the presidency late on Thursday.
Boakai said the decision followed a review of progress reports from ongoing investigations into two major cocaine seizures that have drawn widespread public attention.
The president ordered “the immediate dismissal, suspension and investigation of several officials of government and law enforcement personnel” linked to the narcotics cases, the statement said.
The move comes after Liberian authorities recorded the country’s largest-ever cocaine seizure earlier this month, when nearly four tonnes of cocaine, estimated to be worth about $317 million, were intercepted along a road leading to Roberts International Airport, located about 30 kilometres from the capital, Monrovia.
The seizure followed another major discovery in June, when authorities recovered approximately 238 kilograms of cocaine valued at around $19 million. The drugs had reportedly been concealed in commercial cargo and presented as everyday goods, including Maggi seasoning cubes, at the airport.
Among those dismissed were the deputy director for operations at Roberts International Airport, the police commissioner responsible for criminal investigation, intelligence and Interpol matters, and the deputy director for administration at the National Security Agency.
The president also removed the airport’s director of security and the deputy commander of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency stationed at the airport after they were indicted in connection with the seizures.
Four other employees from the National Security Agency and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection have also been dismissed, with their cases forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for possible prosecution.
Following the first seizure in June, Boakai launched a coordinated investigation, pledging that “every individual found responsible is fully accountable under the law”.
The developments have intensified public debate over Liberia’s response to drug trafficking, with civil society groups, political commentators and media organisations demanding transparency and accountability.
Two weeks ago, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Monrovia in a demonstration organised by civic group STAND, calling for swift investigations and legal action against those implicated in the drug cases.
Liberia, like several other West African countries, has been identified as a transit route for cocaine produced in Latin America and transported to European markets. The latest seizures have renewed calls for stronger border controls and improved oversight of state institutions.
