Liberia: Justice Minister Vows Relentless War On Drug Trafficking

What the report says

Liberia’s Justice Minister and Attorney General, Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh, said the government will keep up what he described as a sustained campaign against drug trafficking, with enforcement guided by evidence, strong institutions and the rule of law. He delivered the remarks on August 26, 2026, at the relaunch of the Edward Wilmot Blyden Intellectual Discourse in Monrovia, an event organized by the Press Union of Liberia and focused on the country’s drug problem.

Tweh pointed to recent law-enforcement actions as evidence of a broader national response. According to his remarks, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency seized more than 400 kilograms of illegal narcotics and arrested more than 200 suspects in the first quarter of 2026. He also cited a cocaine interception at Roberts International Airport, followed by what he described as a far larger seizure in Duazon. The minister said the destroyed cocaine was valued at more than US$336 million, and that the episode highlighted both enforcement gains and weaknesses in the security chain.

The minister said authorities want to move beyond arresting couriers and low-level dealers to target the financing, transport and facilitation networks behind the trade. He also stressed that prosecutions must follow investigations and that no one should be shielded because of status or political ties. At the same time, he warned against public or social-media trials, and argued that due process must be preserved even in a tough anti-drug campaign.

Tweh praised journalists for keeping the issue in public view, while urging reporting to remain fact-based. More broadly, his remarks reflect Liberia’s continuing struggle with narcotics trafficking and the pressure on institutions to respond without undermining constitutional protections.