73 Chinese, Other Foreign Nationals Arrested

IG Coleman: “Several devices seized during the operation contained multiple applications, and WhatsApp accounts that required further digital forensic examination.”

Officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) says it has arrested more than 73 foreign nationals in a joint security operation.

The operation targeted suspected cybercrime, counterfeiting, fraud, economic sabotage, and other offenses.

The arrest raised questions about the scale of the suspected activities, and the security capacity to investigate complex financial and digital crimes.

At Information Ministry regular press briefing in Monrovia over the weekend, Police Inspector General, Gregory O. W. Coleman, disclosed how the operation led to the seizure of more than 200 mobile phones, which investigators believe, could contain evidence relevant to the case.

Coleman said, several devices contained multiple applications, and WhatsApp accounts required further digital forensic examination.

He disclosed how a good number of those arrested are Chinese nationals, though authorities have yet to establish the identities of the rest.

Up to press time late last night, Police was yet to publicly establish the individual roles of those arrested, or explain the specific evidence that linked each suspect to the offenses.

For that, Coleman also disclosed how investigators recovered approximately US$1.3 million in counterfeit United States currency from the ‘crime scene.’

According to Coleman, the location where the arrests occurred had been under surveillance.

The discovery raised concerns about the possible circulation of fake currency, and its potential impact on the economy, although the authenticity of the suspected counterfeit notes, and the circumstances surrounding their recovery must be established through forensic examination.

Despite the scale of the arrests, and the amount of suspected counterfeit money involved, Coleman emphasized the need for thorough investigation, and that the suspects have not been convicted of any crime.

Coleman maintained how all those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction, a principle that requires investigators to establish individual criminal responsibility through credible evidence.