Liberia: Weah Urges Boakai to Match CDC's Drug Crackdown

What the report says

Former Liberian President George Weah has urged President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s government to respond more forcefully to the country’s drug problem, saying narcotics are a major threat and that the current administration should act with the same resolve he says his own government showed. According to The New Dawn, Weah made the remarks on the sidelines of the CDC-USA Convention in Philadelphia over the weekend.

The comments come as Liberia faces intense public concern over two large cocaine seizures that authorities say are the biggest in the country’s history. One seizure took place on June 8 at Roberts International Airport, where officials reported finding 237.6 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a shipment. The drug was valued by authorities at about US$19.2 million and was allegedly intended for the United Kingdom. The case led to a joint investigation and charges against five suspects.

A second operation on July 21 targeted a warehouse in Duazon, Margibi County, where security agencies said they found 3,971 kilograms of suspected cocaine worth roughly US$317.68 million. Two foreign nationals were arrested, and investigators said they also recovered equipment such as GPS devices, a drone, Starlink gear and diving equipment that may have been tied to trafficking activity. Officials later destroyed more than 4.2 metric tons of cocaine on July 30.

The article also says the Boakai administration has dismissed, suspended and moved to prosecute several officials and security personnel amid allegations connected to the wider investigation. The developments highlight the scale of Liberia’s drug-trafficking challenge and the political pressure on the government to show that anti-drug enforcement is being taken seriously.