Agents from the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), assigned in River Gee County, have confirmed the arrest of three men found in possession of large quantity of illegal substance (narcotics) in the county.
The arrest, LDEA said, was carried out over the weekend at the Nyonken checkpoint in Lower Tienpo Statutory District.
The suspects were reportedly en- route to the Tienpo gold mining area, where they allegedly intended to distribute the drugs among some of the miners.
River Gee LDEA Commander, Bill M. Cooper, Jr. said, officers became suspicious of the individuals during routine checkpoint operations.
A subsequent search led to the discovery of tramadol and narcotics concealed in their backpacks.
The suspects, identified as Harrison Duo, 27; Daniel Dweh, 20; and George Quayee, 26, were immediately taken into custody.
Authorities disclosed that a total of 87 strips of tramadol were recovered, all attributed to the group, with a combined estimated value of L$696,000.
The LDEA confirmed that the suspects are currently undergoing preliminary investigation at its headquarters in Fish-Town.
Officials noted that the arrests are part of ongoing efforts to curb the growing illegal drug trade in the Southeast, particularly within mining communities where the distribution and abuse of narcotics have become increasingly widespread.