Liberia Cocaine Seizure Sets a National Record With $317 Million Haul

Liberian authorities have carried out what they describe as the largest drug seizure in the country’s history, raiding a suspected storage facility outside the capital and recovering nearly four tonnes of processed cocaine.

The operation took place in Duazon, a town roughly 20km east of Monrovia. Investigators recovered 3,971kg — about 8,754lb — with an estimated street value exceeding $317m, or £235m.

Images and video released by police showed dozens of sealed suitcases and boxes packed inside a lorry, which investigators believed held high-grade cocaine.

Arrests and an Unusual Passport Detail

Several people were detained during the raid, including two foreign nationals and a number of Liberians.

Police chief Gregory Coleman confirmed details about the foreigners that hint at the international dimensions of the case. One was travelling with two passports, Spanish and Colombian. The other held a Serbian passport.

No formal charges have been announced against any of those arrested.

A Revised Figure

Coleman initially valued Tuesday’s haul at $370m. The investigating team subsequently adjusted that estimate downward to the current figure.

He told the BBC that forensic testing had confirmed the substance was cocaine, describing the material as tested and confirmed.

Eighteen Months of Surveillance

The raid was not opportunistic. Coleman described it as the culmination of a long-running investigation into trafficking networks operating within Liberia.

He explained that between 2018 and 2023 there had been a resurgence of major trafficking and transit activity through the country. The past year and a half was spent conducting surveillance on those networks, producing Tuesday’s result.

Where the shipment originated and where it was headed remain unclear. Coleman said police were still working on that question when the two foreign nationals arrived in Liberia and were arrested.

Vice-President Jeremiah Koung commended the security forces and issued a warning that anyone found responsible would face the full weight of the law regardless of their identity.

A Second Case at the Airport

The Duazon raid follows a separate seizure last month at Roberts International Airport, where security officers flagged irregularities during screening of six cargo boxes.

The shipment had been declared as food seasoning and textiles. Investigators found nearly 200 compressed blocks of cocaine intended for export.

That case generated political friction. Critics accused authorities of moving too slowly to identify suspects, and raised concerns that individuals connected to the shipment had left the country before arrests could be made.

President Joseph Boakai responded by ordering a joint investigation combining police resources with the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency. Several suspects have since been charged, and international arrest warrants are being sought for others still at large.

Why West Africa Sits on the Route

International law enforcement has long treated West Africa as a critical transit corridor for cocaine moving from South America to European markets. Porous borders and inconsistent enforcement across parts of the region make it attractive to traffickers.

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime reports figures that show the scale:

• At least 30% of Europe-bound cocaine now passes through West Africa
• Regional seizures have climbed steadily since 2019
• Roughly 30 tonnes were seized across the region in 2025
• Local consumption, including crack cocaine, has been rising alongside transit volumes

That last point matters. A transit route rarely stays purely a transit route — product leaks into local markets, and addiction problems follow.

The United Nations has warned separately about trafficking networks in the region, describing the increasingly sophisticated operations run by cartels as a matter of serious concern.

Liberia’s Recent Record

This is not the country’s first significant interception. In 2022, authorities seized 520kg of cocaine at Monrovia’s seaport.

The current haul is nearly eight times that quantity.

Since taking office in 2024, President Boakai has reshuffled the leadership of Liberia’s drug enforcement agency on multiple occasions, reflecting sustained pressure on his government to demonstrate progress against trafficking.

What the Numbers Suggest

Two seizures within a month — one at the airport, one at a storage facility inland — point to Liberia functioning as more than an occasional stopover.

The airport shipment was outbound, disguised as seasoning and textiles. The Duazon cache was sitting in a warehouse. Together they suggest infrastructure: storage, repackaging and export channels operating with some degree of permanence.

The passports carried by the two arrested foreigners fit that reading as well. A Colombian-Spanish dual national and a Serbian arriving in Liberia around the time of a four-tonne seizure describes a supply chain rather than a single transaction.

Whether prosecutions follow, and how far up the chain they reach, will indicate more about the state of enforcement than the size of the haul does.