Published: June 10, 2026
MONROVIA – Liberian drug agents intercepted a cocaine shipment worth more than $19.2 million bound for Europe at Roberts International Airport, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency announced Tuesday, in one of the country’s largest drug seizures.
The cocaine, 198 compressed plates concealed in six cargo boxes, was seized Monday, June 8, at the RIA cargo terminal as the consignment was being processed for an outbound shipment to Europe aboard Brussels Airlines, LDEA Officer in Charge Fitzgerald Biago told reporters at a press conference at the agency’s headquarters attended by partners from the National Council, the President’s Office and the Liberia Airport Authority.
The agency put the street value of the shipment at $19,226,000, more than $19.2 million, or approximately 3.65 billion Liberian dollars. The 198 plates each weighed 1.2 kilograms, for a total of 237.6 kilograms, or 237,600 grams.
Biago said the operation was driven by credible intelligence and the vigilance of joint security officers stationed at the airport, calling the interception a demonstration of ongoing reforms, intelligence-led operations and strengthened cooperation across Liberia’s security sector. He described it as one of the most significant interceptions in recent times.
“This operation sends an unequivocal message that Liberia is not a transit point, a marketplace, nor a safe haven for drug traffickers,” Biago said. He said the agency would continue to relentlessly pursue criminal networks, secure the country’s borders and protect citizens from the devastating effects of illicit drugs.
Investigations are underway and persons of interest are being identified, Biago said. He pledged that every individual connected to the criminal network would be identified, investigated and prosecuted in accordance with Liberian law.
The managing director of the Liberia Airport Authority, who also addressed the conference, said the seizure reflected the exceptional vigilance, professionalism and coordination of the Airport Security Department, the LDEA and other airport security stakeholders at RIA. He described the intercepted substance as a high grade, solid plated narcotic seized while being processed for an outbound shipment to Europe.
He commended the law enforcement officers who, he said, risk their lives daily to protect Liberia’s borders, communities and homes, adding that their actions reaffirmed that the country’s gateways are not safe havens for criminal activity.
“Business as usual will not be tolerated,” he said, calling the seizure a strong and unmistakable message that Liberia’s airports are secure, monitored and uncompromised. The government’s war on drugs and criminal cartels would persist, he said, until the risks associated with trafficking are significantly reduced.
The authority remains committed to providing a safe and secure environment where legitimate businesses can thrive while criminal enterprises are denied access, the managing director said, pledging continued investment in security infrastructure, interagency collaboration and compliance with international aviation and cargo security standards. He said the agency looked forward to seeing the perpetrators brought to justice through due process.
Officials declined to disclose the specific detection methods used at the airport, saying only that established mechanisms were in place and that the seizure showed those procedures were working.
Asked how many people had been identified or arrested in connection with the shipment, officials said the matter remained under active investigation and did not provide a figure.
The LDEA cast the operation as part of the government’s broader campaign against drug trafficking and criminal cartels, and extended appreciation to its officers, security partners and airport authorities for their role in the interception.
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