Liberia: Indictment Says Bar Owner Offered Ldea Agents U.S.$100,000 Over Seized Cocaine

What the report says

A Liberian grand jury has indicted George Wah Harria, also known as Leroy Harris, in a case tied to a 200-kilogram cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport in June, according to The Liberian Investigator via AllAfrica. The report says Harris owns Private Bar Entertainment Center in Paynesville and is accused of trying to pay Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency agents to recover the drugs. One agent, Moses Jallah, is among the defendants; another officer named in the indictment, LDEA Commander Clarence Clarke, is not listed as a defendant.

The indictment alleges that Harris offered the agents US$100,000 and later handed US$5,000 to Jallah at his bar. It also says Harris admitted in a police statement that he contacted Clarke after hearing of an incident at the airport. Prosecutors say Jallah told investigators he met Harris at the bar on June 7 and heard claims that Harris had a stake in the seized cocaine and wanted it returned.

The case extends beyond the alleged attempt to retrieve the drugs. The indictment describes a wider trafficking network that prosecutors say used false cargo declarations, WhatsApp coordination and shipping intermediaries to move the consignment through the airport. The writ of arrest, issued by Criminal Court ‘C’ on Aug. 27, charges the defendants with drug possession, importation, trafficking, conspiracy, facilitation and money laundering. The report notes that the accused are presumed innocent and that the state still must prove the case in court.