Liberia: Protest Coalition Calls for U.S. Intervention in U.S.$19m Drug Scandal

The Liberia Protest Coalition (LPC), comprising more than 37 civil society organizations, political parties, student groups, community organizations, and pro-democracy advocates, has petitioned the United States Embassy in Monrovia to request an international investigation into a US$19 million drug scandal.

The petition, submitted on June 16 to U.S. Chargé d'Affaires Joe Zadrozny, called for urgent U.S. attention to Liberia's escalating narcotics crisis.

The coalition cited a lack of transparency in major drug investigations and a decline in public confidence in state institutions under the current administration.

The petition said many Liberians have lost trust in the government's ability and willingness to impartially investigate and prosecute major drug-related crimes, citing a pattern of unanswered questions, selective disclosure, and unresolved investigations.

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The petitioners expressed concern over what they described as the continued withholding of critical information, which they said has generated public anxiety.

The coalition said Liberians deserve to know who attempted to import such a large quantity of narcotics into the country.

"Transparency, justice, and accountability cannot be selective," the petition stated.

The LPC called on the United States Embassy, the U.S. government, and international partners to support an independent investigation into the drug scandal.

The coalition also expressed alarm over repeated reports of major narcotics seizures across Liberia in the past two years. Public reports from the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) indicate significant quantities of illegal substances have been confiscated during this period.

The coalition said the increasing scale and frequency of these discoveries raise concerns about international drug trafficking networks exploiting Liberia's borders, ports, and institutions.

"The Liberian people refuse to accept a future in which the country becomes a hub for international drug trafficking," the petition said.

The petition, led by Mulbah K. Morlu, Lead Campaigner of the LPC, said the initiative represents citizens who believe Liberia must remain a democratic state governed by the rule of law, not a narco-state characterized by secrecy, corruption, and impunity.