Liberia Seizes Nearly Four Tonnes of Cocaine in Record-Breaking Bust
Liberian security forces have seized nearly four metric tonnes of cocaine in a raid on a warehouse near Monrovia, in what officials describe as the country's largest drugs bust. Two foreign nationals were arrested at the scene, and a senior police officer has been suspended over allegations of bribery linked to the case.
The operation, carried out by a joint security team including the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), the Liberia National Police (LNP), and other national security institutions, uncovered approximately 3,971 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of around US$318 million, according to officials. The raid took place in the VOA Community in Paynesville, along the Roberts International Airport Highway, and followed weeks of intelligence gathering and surveillance.
The seizure dwarfs a previous bust at Roberts International Airport in June, when authorities intercepted about 237.6 kilograms of suspected cocaine valued at more than US$19 million. That earlier discovery triggered a broader investigation into an alleged international drug trafficking syndicate, which ultimately led to the latest raid.
Police chief Gregory Coleman told the BBC that forensic tests had confirmed the substance was cocaine, with an estimated street value of more than $370 million. He described the seizure as the biggest drugs bust in the country's history, the result of a long-running investigation into suspected drug-trafficking networks operating in Liberia.
"Between 2018 and 2023, apparently there was a resurface of major trafficking and transiting in Liberia. Over the last one-and-a-half years, we've been surveilling them and this is the result of that operation," Coleman said.
The two men taken into custody at the warehouse have been identified as Johann David Garces Grajales, who holds both Colombian and Spanish passports, and Srdan Seles, a Serbian national. Investigators said they were in possession of a firearm at the time of their arrest. However, authorities are not convinced the names are genuine. A member of the joint security team told The Liberian Investigator that searches of open sources, including Google and the deep web, returned no records for either of them.
"One of the things we're going to establish is whether the names in their passports are indeed their real names," the officer said. "It is a common practice for transnational drug dealers to conceal their real identities."
Formal Charges Filed
A writ of arrest and police charge sheet filed at the Paynesville City Magisterial Court, before Stipendiary Magistrate William G. Saygah, names twelve defendants, including Grajales and Seles. The others are Edison Brown, Mohammed Alpha Bah, Jammel V. Jallah, Christopher Sayee, Christian L. Nyantee, Caycee Nelson, a man identified only as Sekou, Nana Tom, a man identified only as Michael, and Abednego, with the charge sheet noting that others have yet to be identified.
The defendants face charges under Liberia's Penal Law, including importation of controlled drugs, unlicensed exportation, unlicensed sales and transportation of controlled substances, unlicensed possession, illicit trafficking, criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation, criminal solicitation, and illegal possession of a firearm. Atty. Emmanuel Tarr of the Ministry of Justice is prosecuting, on a complaint brought by the LDEA.
According to the charge sheet, the operation is alleged to have begun in 2024, when Edison Brown and Mohammed Alpha Bah, with Jammel V. Jallah's knowledge and consent, brought a group described as "Michael, Tom and other white nationals to be identified" into Liberia. The group allegedly flew an aircraft into the country that landed at Roberts International Airport under the pretense of running a local commercial transport business.
Police Officer Suspended Over Bribery Allegations
In a separate development, Johnny Bolar Dean, the Chief of Intelligence of Unit 106 in the LNP, has been turned over for investigation amid allegations that he accepted a US$10,000 bribe to provide favorable treatment to the two suspected drug traffickers being held at Police Headquarters in Monrovia.
Police chief Coleman announced Dean's suspension on Thursday, saying the senior officer had admitted to receiving the money. "We just discovered that those who we have arrested here -- there were officers here within the police department, apart from the names out in the public domain, connected to this investigation," Coleman told journalists. "Today, we found out that a senior officer became compromised in this investigation, to provide some comfort for those who have been arrested and brought in. He has admitted to receiving $10,000, and as such, 106 Johnny Dean is relieved of his post with immediate effect."
Dean has been turned over to the Professional Standards Division and will face criminal investigation if found culpable.
Government Response
Liberian Vice-President Jeremiah Koung praised the security forces for the operation and said whosoever was found culpable would "feel the full weight of the law, regardless of who you are."
Information Minister Jerolinmek M. Piah said the government remains determined to prevent Liberia from becoming a safe haven for international narcotics operations. "Our government has been keen on dealing with that," Piah said at a press briefing. "Liberia will not become a place that traffickers can use as a transit point to move drugs to their final destination."
Officials have not yet announced the exact quantity and value of the latest seizure, saying laboratory testing and inventory are still ongoing. Investigators are working to establish the origin, destination, and ownership of the shipment.