“Thursday’s burning exercise reflects the government’s determination to crack down on drug trafficking, and further discourage, or prevent Liberia from becoming a transit point for illicit drugs,”—one security source.
On Thursday, July 30, joint security taskforce burned over US$336 million worth of cocaine they recently seized.
The cocaine was seized in a major anti-drug operation with a combined street value of more than US$336 million.
Joint security confirmed that they destroyed two large cocaine shipments seized in separate anti-drug operations, with a combined street value of more than US$336 million.
The exercise, which was carried in the fore view of onlookers, among them, journalists, and high-profiled individuals, was held in Careysburg, outside Monrovia.
The drugs were burned at a designated site in Forzohn, District #1, Margibi County, near Careysburg. In total, authorities destroyed 4,208.6 kilograms of cocaine.
The largest shipment weighed 3,971 kilograms, and was valued at about US$317.68 million.
It was seized in Duazon, Margibi County. The second shipment weighed 237.6 kilograms, worth more than US$19.2 million, and was intercepted at Roberts International Airport (RIA) during a drug trafficking investigation.
Security officials said, the operation is a major step in the fight against drug trafficking, and organized crime. They assured the public that the government remains committed to stop the country from being used as a route for illegal drugs, and vowed to continue arresting, and prosecuting those involved.
Authorities also urged the public to work with security agencies by reporting any suspicious activities related to drug trafficking, saying: “Public support is important in keeping communities safe from the harmful effects of illegal drugs.”
Apart from the US$19.2 million worth of drugs seized at the airport on June 8, another huge drug bust was unearthed on Tuesday, July 21.
The huge quantity of narcotics was discovered in Margibi County, a proximity of Roberts International Airport (RIA); now a venue of drugs transit in recent months.
Security forces said, they uncovered the major suspected drug shipment in Douazohn, Margibi County.
The situation has since raised concerns about the fight against international drug trafficking in the country.
At the time, Information Minister Jerolinmek Matthew Piah, confirmed that Tuesday’s discovery was the “largest drugs arrested in the country so far history is concerned.”
Piah acknowledged how officers of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), in collaboration with other national security agencies, discovered a “massive quantity of suspected narcotics during a security operation in Douazohn.”
The Thursday’s exercise reflects the government’s determination to crack down on drug trafficking, and prevent Liberia from becoming a transit point for illicit drugs.
