MONROVIA: The Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA), acting on a credible intelligence gathered from TRH Trading Corporation, has seized 197 parks of cocaine at the Freeport of Monrovia from a container, marked MNBU4204747.
The seizure of the latest drugs comes few months after a huge consignment of drugs, valued at a whopping US$100million was arrested at a local business center in Monrovia based on intelligence gathered by Liberian Joint Security forces, with support from its United States counterparts.
The Liberian authorities confirmed the prime suspects in the US100million cocaine burst last year to be Guinea-Bissau and Lebanese nationals.
The confiscation of the 197 packets of cocaine at the Freeport of Monrovia on Monday, January 30, 2023, was successful as a result of collaboration and coordination involving the Liberia Maritime Authority (LMA), the Liberia Seaport Police (LSP), and the LDEA.
However, no suspect has, so far, been arrested in connection with the seizure of the 197 packs of cocaine.
It appears that Liberia’s joint security forces now have a serious task of identifying and pursuing all those who may be connected to the latest cocaine importation to face justice.
TRH Trading Corporation, the whistleblower as it relates to the importation of the 197 packets of drugs at the Freeport is believed to be the leading importer and distributor of frozen foods on the Liberian market.
The alarm was raised on the container marked MNBU4204747 with products manufactured by BRF.
Investigators have, at the same time, lauded TRH Trading Corporation for the tipoff which led to the discovery of the consignment of cocaine at the Free Port of Monrovia, commonly referred to as the GATEWAY to Liberia’s economy.
Jerry Diah, LDEA’s Senior Collector, assigned at the Free Port of Monrovia said: “The seizure of these drugs is the result of coordinated efforts, especially a tip-off we (security agencies) had gotten from TRH. The company had raised suspicion about a container that had berthed at the Freeport and wanted the police to search it.”
“We want to be grateful to TRH, through the Liberia Seaport Police Director, Logan Davies, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) for the coordinated efforts applied,” the LDEA Senior Collector added.
At the same time, LDEA’s Deputy Director General for Operations, Lorenzo Pelham, also termed the commandeering of the 197 packets of cocaine as a serious setback to the illicit drugs trade in Liberia.
Pelham disclosed that “The suspected container was thoroughly searched by a combined team of LSP, the LDEA and a team from TRH Company. Our efforts of the search team were rewarded the cocaine were found.”
According to Pelham, while there have been no arrest made in the matter so far, the seizure of the huge consignment of drugs will serve as a caveat to unscrupulous elements that are determined to make Liberia a designated transit point for illicit drugs trade.
The LDEA Deputy Director General for Operations further disclosed that initial tests carried out on the contents of the packets confirmed the substance to be cocaine.
He then extended appreciation to TRH Trading Corporation for the Intel on the container that led to the successful seizure of the cocaine.
“It was gratifying that the success of the operation was as a result of the coordination between relevant agencies of government and our partner, TRH,” he intoned.
It remains unclear as to the state of origin of the container in which the drugs were detected.
