With several record cocaine seizures registered in recent weeks, President Joseph Boakai has taken a tougher line. On Thursday, the head of state dismissed about a dozen senior officials from the airport, the police, and security services, and ordered investigations into some of them.
An unprecedented decision, which reveals, above all, the scale of drug trafficking in the country.
Among those dismissed are senior officials from the airport, the police, and the intelligence services.
The sanctions followed two massive seizures: nearly four tonnes of cocaine valued at more than $300 million, discovered in July near Monrovia, and more than 230 kilograms seized a few weeks earlier at the international airport.
According to Liberian analyst Abdullah Kiatamba, these dismissals show that drug trafficking has been entrenched in Liberia for years: “This shows that drug trafficking has been deeply rooted in Liberia for years. The police, the intelligence services and other security agencies have been compromised. Not only are drugs being discovered, but there are also accomplices within the state. This is not new. As early as 2019, there were already cases where police escorted drug shipments. And the more authorities investigate, the more they uncover the extent of the network.”
President Joseph Boakai is now expected to follow up on the investigations and potential prosecutions.
Some members of the public believe that these initial sanctions reveal only a fraction of the problem.
