By Godgift Harris
Information Minister, Jerolinmek Piah, has confirmed the seizure of US$150,000 confiscated during a high-profiled drug interception at the Bo Waterside Border in Grand Cape Mount County, near the Liberia/Sierra Leone border.
Piah told a news conference that the seized money was deposited into an account at the Central Bank of Liberia (CBL), as authorities attempt to reassure a skeptical public over the handling of sensitive evidence in narcotics-related cases.
The disclosure comes in the wake of mounting public concern, fueled by conflicting accounts, and widespread speculation about the whereabouts of the seized cash, which was recovered alongside a large consignment of illegal drugs.
The substances, reportedly including more than 500 packs of suspected tramadol and tapentadol, were intercepted by officers of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) during a border operation targeting cross-border trafficking networks.
Mr. Piah said, government had taken decisive steps to safeguard the integrity of the evidence by placing the money under the custody of the Central Bank.
“The money is safely kept at CBL to prevent any form of disappearance, and to ensure its availability as evidence in court.” Despite the assurances, the incident has reignited longstanding public concerns about transparency, accountability, and the broader fight against drug trafficking in the country. Critics argue that while the swift deposit of the funds into the Central Bank is a positive step, it does little to address systemic weaknesses that have historically plagued narcotics enforcement and judicial follow-through. The seizure itself, though significant, has sparked debate over the scale of drug trafficking in the country, and whether current enforcement efforts are sufficient to deter increasingly sophisticated criminal networks operating along the country’s porous borders. There are concerns as to how such a large quantity of controlled substances and cash could traversed international boundaries before being intercepted, raising alarms about potential lapses in border security and intelligence gathering.
The confiscated money and narcotics are expected to play a central role in upcoming court proceedings, as authorities pursue charges against individuals connected to the trafficking attempt. For now, the $150,000 sitting in the vaults of the Central Bank stands not only as evidence in a criminal case, but as a symbol of the broader fight against drugs, corruption and impunity in Liberia.