By By Domingo Dargbeh
Gardnersville, Monrovia – A bombshell disclosure by Deputy Minister of Administration at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, Cornelia Kruah, has ignited fresh fears that Liberia’s biggest-ever drug seizure is still tormenting communities.
At a weekend awareness program themed “Red Card to Drugs”, Krah revealed that portions of the \$100 million worth of narcotics confiscated under the Weah administration never disappeared entirely but filtered into District #13, leaving devastating effects on residents.
“Some of the drugs that were arrested left in our district have trickled down into our community, impacting our people in ways we cannot ignore,” she warned, stressing that the crisis is eating deep into the fabric of society.
The drugs in question were part of a staggering cocaine shipment, intercepted in October 2022 at the Freeport of Monrovia during the presidency of George Weah. The consignment, concealed in containers marked as frozen food, was valued at over \$100 million and represented one of the largest drug busts in Liberian history.
Following the seizure, four foreign nationals were arrested and tried in connection to the case. But in May 2023, a jury at Criminal Court “C” controversially acquitted all defendants, a verdict that drew widespread public outrage and sparked accusations of judicial compromise. Despite the acquittal, law enforcement officials maintained that international cartels had deliberately targeted Liberia as a transit hub for trafficking drugs into the subregion.
Kruah noted that while authorities celebrated the seizure as a landmark win, remnants of the consignment trickled into local communities and are now driving addiction, crime, and health risks in District #13 and beyond. She called for tougher policing, increased funding for rehab programs, and massive public awareness campaigns to counter the surge.
Montserrado County Superintendent Whroway Bryant backed the Deputy Minister’s call, branding Montserrado as “the number one county affected by drug abuse” and urging citizens to treat the menace as a national emergency.
But Bryant also cautioned community dwellers against burning suspected drug dens, reminding them that only security agencies are legally mandated to carry out such operations.
