Published: July 2, 2026
MONROVIA – Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe and Gbarpolu County Senator Amara M. Konneh have praised President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for declaring illicit drugs and substance abuse a national security threat and national emergency, while urging the administration to follow the declaration with decisive action, beginning with the prosecution of those implicated in the US$19.2 million cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport (RIA).
President Boakai made the declaration Thursday during a Cabinet meeting at the Executive Mansion, describing Liberia’s escalating drug crisis as a threat to national security.
In a joint statement issued shortly afterward, Snowe and Konneh described the President’s move as a bold and timely response to a growing crisis that continues to endanger communities and undermine the future of Liberia’s youth.
The lawmakers said the declaration carries added significance following the seizure of cocaine valued at US$19.2 million at RIA, noting that subsequent Senate hearings exposed serious weaknesses in Liberia’s security architecture, border management and intelligence systems.
“This President’s declaration is critically important in light of the recent $19.2 million cocaine bust at Roberts International Airport (RIA),” the senators said. “The Liberian Senate’s public hearings, prompted by our communication, have revealed significant vulnerabilities in our national security infrastructure, border oversight, and intelligence operations.”
Snowe and Konneh maintained that restoring public confidence requires an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the case.
“The people of Liberia have the right to know the truth,” they stressed, adding that official silence and inaction are unacceptable when the country’s reputation and internal security are at stake.
While welcoming the President’s declaration, the senators emphasized that it must be matched by concrete and coordinated measures.
“While we commend the Executive for recognizing this as a national emergency, we emphasize that such a declaration demands strong, coordinated action,” they noted.
According to the lawmakers, the government’s response should begin with the ongoing US$19.2 million cocaine investigation and the swift prosecution of everyone involved.
They also called for urgent reforms within the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), citing what they described as a leadership crisis and systemic institutional failures. They urged transparent, non-political vetting and the appointment of qualified professionals to lead the agency.
The senators further advocated increased funding for law enforcement and security institutions, saying they must be equipped with modern technology and professionally managed to effectively detect, prevent and disrupt drug trafficking across Liberia’s borders.
Snowe and Konneh reaffirmed their commitment to working with the Executive Branch, fellow lawmakers and international partners to strengthen Liberia’s fight against narcotics.
“In so doing, as Senators of the Republic, we reaffirm our commitment to working constructively with the Executive Branch, our colleagues in the Legislature, and Liberia’s international partners to support policies and initiatives that address all dimensions of the drug crisis,” they affirmed.
The senators also commended Senate President Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence and their legislative colleagues for what they described as bipartisan cooperation in pursuing accountability.
They pledged to continue exercising the Senate’s constitutional oversight authority to ensure that financiers, facilitators and internal accomplices linked to transnational drug trafficking networks are held accountable under the law.
The lawmakers urged all Liberians—including families, educators, religious leaders, community organizations, youth groups and civil society—to unite behind the government’s anti-drug strategy.
They said the national response must combine strict law enforcement with rehabilitation programs for victims of substance abuse.
“Together, with unity of purpose and steadfast determination, we can overcome this challenge and build a safer, healthier, and more prosperous Liberia for present and future generations,” they stressed.
The senators’ statement comes as the Liberian Senate intensifies oversight of the high-profile cocaine case.
On Wednesday, the Senate summoned the country’s top security officials to explain what lawmakers described as the slow pace of the investigation into the RIA drug seizure. Those ordered to appear include the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, the Inspector-General of the Liberia National Police, the Commissioner-General of the Liberia Immigration Service, the Director of the Liberia National Fire Service, the National Security Agency, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency and members of the Joint Security Task Force investigating the case.
The action followed a joint communication submitted by Snowe and Konneh, who argued that more than three weeks after authorities intercepted the narcotics, the public remains dissatisfied with the pace and transparency of the investigation.
The lawmakers warned that the magnitude of the seizure has drawn both national and international attention, raising serious questions about Liberia’s border security and the effectiveness of its anti-drug enforcement institutions.
“Regrettably, despite the seriousness of this matter, the Liberian public has witnessed what appears to be an unacceptably slow investigative process. To date, there has been limited official communication on the status of the investigation, no publicly known arrests of principal suspects, and an unsettling silence from key national security and law enforcement institutions,” Snowe and Konneh stated.
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