Liberia: Foreign Ministry Denies Diplomatic Pouch Link to Cocaine Probe

What the report says

Liberia’s Foreign Ministry has rejected allegations that the country’s diplomatic pouch was used to transport narcotics and that the foreign minister approved the move. In a statement issued Wednesday, the ministry said the claims were false, lacked credible evidence and could damage public confidence in the government’s anti-crime efforts and Liberia’s diplomatic ties.

The ministry said diplomatic pouches and parcels are tightly regulated under international law and are used to support the duty-free privileges of foreign missions and international organizations in Liberia. On that basis, it denied that the pouch was involved in the current narcotics investigation and also dismissed any suggestion that the foreign minister signed off on illicit activity.

The statement also said the government, acting through the National Security Council, has reached out diplomatically to the United States, United Kingdom, Morocco, Spain, Serbia, the Netherlands, the European Union and other partners for technical help, intelligence cooperation, investigative support and training. The ministry did not say when those contacts took place or identify any concrete commitments from those governments.

The denial comes as Liberian authorities investigate major drug cases, including a cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport and a July 21 warehouse raid in Duazon, Margibi County. The article notes these are among the country’s most significant narcotics cases, but it does not connect the ministry to the seizures beyond the disputed allegations.