Liberia: Absence of Suspects Charged in Absentia in U.S.$19m Drug Bust Could Derail Probe

Monrovia — Nearly a month after authorities seized US$19 million worth of cocaine at Roberts International Airport, five people have been formally charged and named as principal suspects in a case that is once again drawing global scrutiny of Liberia's much-publicized war on drugs.

The seizure occurred on Sunday, June 7, 2026, after authorities intercepted and searched a six-box consignment presented for export through Roberts International Airport. The inspection uncovered 198 plates of cocaine weighing approximately 237.6 kilograms. Although the shipment had been declared as ordinary commercial cargo, subsequent testing confirmed that it contained a large quantity of illicit narcotics.

For days, members of the Joint Special Investigative Team established by President Joseph Boakai quietly maintained that their reluctance to name suspects was intended to avoid jeopardizing the investigation. But FrontPageAfrica has learned that, behind the scenes, tensions between the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency and members of the committee sparked accusations and counteraccusations over leaks of sensitive documents and information. Some government officials say those leaks may have helped persons of interest flee Monrovia for unknown destinations.

By Saturday, reporters had camped outside Liberian National Police headquarters for much of the day, waiting for a press conference expected to announce the first major arrests. But the briefing was repeatedly delayed, leaving many frustrated as the start time kept shifting from one hour to the next.

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A day earlier, Inspector General Gregory Coleman had appeared before a Senate plenary hearing examining the government's failure to make arrests since the seizure. He pleaded for patience but said arrests would be made in the coming days.

It was not until 8 p.m. local time that IG Coleman finally took the podium to present the joint investigative team's findings and name the suspects.

First on the list was Paul J. King, Operations Manager of Global Logistics Services (GLS). According to IG Coleman, investigators found that King, acting in that role, and GLS, operating through its internal structure, allegedly conspired to accept, facilitate, store, and transport the six-box consignment of cocaine through the airport cargo chain.

Paul operates the company with his brother, Malcolm, who has not been charged in connection with the drug bust.

Charges in Absentia

According to the police chief, the investigation found that GLS, through its management channels, provided substantial assistance to the alleged trafficking scheme. As a result, authorities charged Paul under Chapter 14, Sections 84, 85, 89, and 93 of the Amended Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of 2023, as well as Chapter 10, Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia.

The charges include:

Unlicensed exportation of controlled drugs or substances;

Unlicensed transportation and trading in transit of controlled drugs or substances;

Unlicensed possession of controlled drugs or substances; and

Illicit trafficking in controlled drugs or substances.

The police chief also announced that Michael U.S. Browne, also known as Rahim or Raheem Bah, was linked to the organization of the shipment, the use of bogus front companies, the coordination of cargo falsely declared as Maggi cubes and lappas, and attempts to recover the cocaine after it was discovered.

Browne has been charged in absentia under Chapter 14, Sections 84, 85, 89, and 93 of the Amended Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of 2023, as well as Chapter 10, Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia.

The charges include:

Unlicensed exportation of controlled drugs or substances;

Unlicensed transportation and trading in transit of controlled drugs or substances;

Unlicensed possession of controlled drugs or substances; and

Illicit trafficking in controlled drugs or substances.

After reviewing phone records from the investigation, FrontPageAfrica reported last week that Browne was linked to the Raheem Bah alias because the phone Bah allegedly used to call Paul King is registered in Browne's name. FrontPageAfrica has also learned that Browne remained in Monrovia until last week, when he reportedly fled across the border into Sierra Leone.

Another person charged with criminal conspiracy was Oscar J. Browne. According to the police chief, the investigation established that Oscar Browne scanned and cleared similar cargo shipped on May 22, 2026, and later made repeated calls to colleagues about the June 5 shipment that was seized on June 7 at Roberts International Airport. Investigators say the calls were part of an effort to secure the cargo's release after its contents had already been discovered.

Oscar Browne has been charged in absentia under Chapter 14, Sections 84, 85, 89, and 93 of the Amended Controlled Drugs and Substances Act of 2023, as well as Chapter 10, Sections 2, 3, and 4 of the Revised Penal Code of Liberia.

The charges include:

Unlicensed exportation of controlled drugs or substances;

Unlicensed transportation and trading in transit of controlled drugs or substances;

Unlicensed possession of controlled drugs or substances; and

Illicit trafficking in controlled drugs or substances.

Browne was in China attending a conference when the drug bust occurred and did not return with the other participants with whom he had traveled. His whereabouts are unknown.

According to IG Coleman, investigators identified Emmanuel Kpah as the person who delivered the shipment and associated cash tied to the cargo transaction. He has also been charged in absentia.

Last week, FrontPageAfrica obtained and published photographs showing Kpah carrying out a transaction at a local UBA branch. FPA was informed that the transaction involved a payment into a GLS account for the cocaine stash he allegedly delivered to Paul King's home.

Charges fail to indicate responsible parties for the Importation

The charges only include facilitation of transshipment to the UK but fail to indicate how the drugs first arrived in Liberia! The drugs were not grown and manufactured in the country and questions arise over how such a huge quantity could escape detection at various ports of entry. Drug cartels use chains of custody to import and transship drugs. Importation requires compromise of customs and port personnel and the delivery to safe houses require private or official escort. Charging only those involved in the facilitation to transship misses the most dangerous operation of the cartel: compromising entry points into the country. Experts believe that a more intensive investigation of the suspects and their links to other members of the cartel will provide answers.

That's the missing link in the investigation so far, and members of the public including lawmakers and ordinary citizens have indicated they hope Liberian authorities can provide answers including determination of the involvement of bigger hands. Senators Amara Konneh, Darius Dillon, and Edwin Snowe stated publicly they would like to see a wider net in the investigation.

Mystery Suspect Believed to be in UK

Another mystery suspect named in the charges is Usman Ali, whom investigators identified as the UK-based consignee. Ali has been charged in absentia.

Ali's name was stamped on one of the boxes allegedly containing the cocaine seized at RIA. Investigators listed his address as 29 Bardesley Green East, Bordesley Green, Birmingham, England, GB B9 S55, and his phone number as +31684210042.

FPA has learned that investigators have sought international assistance in their efforts to track down Ali. It remains unclear whether he is still in London or has moved elsewhere, and his nationality is also unknown.

On June 27, 2023, former President George Weah signed into law legislation passed by the national legislature making drug offenses nonbailable. The law makes the cultivation, manufacture, importation, exportation, trafficking, and sale of controlled drugs and substances nonbailable offenses.

In passing the law, lawmakers classified these offenses as first-degree felonies. Today, controlled drugs--including cocaine, heroin, MDMA, methamphetamine, and synthetic cannabinoids such as "kush"--are illegal under Liberia's Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

The INTERPOL Quagmire

With only one suspect, Paul King, in custody, IG Coleman said authorities are pursuing all suspects who are in hiding, outside the country, or otherwise evading the legal process through every lawful means available to the Republic of Liberia. Those measures include arrest warrants, international law-enforcement cooperation, extradition requests, and mutual legal assistance mechanisms where applicable.

This is where the matter becomes more complicated. For years, Liberia had been indebted to INTERPOL, the International Criminal Police Organization, which serves as the world's largest international police agency. Headquartered in Lyon, France, INTERPOL facilitates cross-border police cooperation among 196 member countries, helping law-enforcement agencies share data, track fugitives, and combat transnational crimes such as cybercrime, terrorism, and drug trafficking.

This year, however, Liberia secured a major debt-restructuring agreement with INTERPOL, which was approved by the organization's Executive Committee and announced in May 2026.

Under the settlement, historical arrears accumulated between 2004 and 2018, totaling approximately €356,554.12, were canceled. Additional arrears covering the 2019 to 2025 period, amounting to €301,315, were restructured into a four-year repayment plan running from 2026 through 2029.

Although Liberia has committed to making timely payments on future annual statutory contributions to INTERPOL, concerns remain that any renewed delinquency could complicate efforts to return suspects at large to Liberia to face trial.

INTERPOL generally expects member countries to remain current on their financial obligations, as its budget supports operational commitments, information-sharing systems, and international law-enforcement cooperation.

African nations paid only 59% of their dues in 2024, while five of the 13 countries in long-term arrears were in Africa. Liberia ranked as INTERPOL's third most indebted member nation, far behind Venezuela and just behind Guinea-Bissau.

Mysterious Prison Release for Browne

Amid those concerns, FrontPageAfrica contacted a member of the president's Joint Investigative Team, who spoke on condition of anonymity and dismissed the fears. The source said that because drug trafficking is an international crime with transnational implications, Liberia should not face major obstacles in seeking the extradition of suspects.

The investigation is also drawing scrutiny over how some of the fugitives charged Saturday managed to slip through the cracks.

In July 2024, Michael Browne was dismissed from RIA after the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) confiscated multiple boxes of synthetic drugs arriving on commercial flights. The seizure included 10 kilograms of kush, allegedly concealed as tea leaves, with an estimated street value of US$200,000.

How Did Browne Secure His Release?

No one has provided a definitive answer. But last Friday, following a FrontPageAfrica report on Browne's earlier drug-related legal troubles, the Ministry of Justice issued a statement saying he had been released from pretrial detention in September 2024 solely on the authority of a court order, and not through any action by the ministry.

The ministry said the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit Court in Margibi County granted Browne's release on medical grounds after two individuals executed a human surety bond guaranteeing his appearance before the court.

Although drug offenses are nonbailable, the prison superintendent wrote that Browne reported feeling ill while in custody on September 18, 2024. "He was immediately escorted to the C.H. Rennie Hospital for a medical examination," the superintendent wrote.

Quoting a medical doctor, the superintendent said Browne had experienced chest pains linked to an earlier accident on the Robertsfield Highway in which multiple ribs were broken. "The inmate is not medically fit to be in prison; therefore, he is recommended by the hospital authority to be referred to an advanced hospital. In view of the above, the prison administration is kindly requesting the honorable court to allow one or two of his closest family members to sign for him so that he can seek treatment. After the treatment, he will be brought to face justice," the superintendent's letter concluded.

Following Browne's release, FPA has learned that he allegedly returned to familiar networks at the airport and resumed practices that had previously placed him under scrutiny.

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For now, it remains unclear how far the Boakai administration is prepared to go in pursuing the case and delivering a decisive outcome in the fight against drug trafficking.

As IG Coleman put it, "the magnitude of the seizure, the method of concealment, the intended international routing, and the surrounding circumstances made clear that this was not an ordinary drug case."

What is clear to many Liberians and international partners is that the latest saga has again placed Liberia in the spotlight, reinforcing concerns that the country has become a place where drug traffickers can exploit the system and escape accountability.

A similar episode unfolded in October 2022, when authorities seized 520 kilograms of cocaine, valued at about US$100 million, concealed in a frozen poultry container at the Freeport of Monrovia. The operation followed an intelligence tipoff from the U.S. government and involved coordination with Brazilian and Liberian authorities.

Urgency to Replace GLS Amid Cargo Shipping Fears

The bust was initially hailed as a major victory for international cooperation but soon became one of the country's most controversial drug cases. Four suspects--a Liberian, a Portuguese, a Lebanese, and a Guinea-Bissau national--were taken into custody and charged. In May 2023, a Monrovia jury unexpectedly acquitted all four men, and the court ordered the US$200,000 in cash seized from them returned. Hours after the verdict and their release, the defendants absconded and remain at large.

While many Liberians remain skeptical of the government's handling of the probe, allegations and speculation about the possible involvement of higher-ups continue to swirl. Still, the government insists it is treating the case as a network investigation aimed at identifying every participant, including financiers, organizers, handlers, couriers, facilitators, insiders, and foreign links.

Critics have also questioned why the investigation appears focused largely on exportation and illicit possession, rather than on how the drugs entered Liberia in the first place. They argue that investigators have yet to answer several critical questions: Who brought the drugs into the country? How did they get through the border? Who facilitated their movement? Who financed the operation? Where did the shipment originate? Which international cartel was behind it? And which local bureaucrats or security officials, if any, provided cover?

As controversial as the probe has become, the more immediate concern for travelers and businesses is how the ongoing investigation could affect cargo shipping. The suspension of GLS and the King brothers' business operations has been put on hold while the RIA board considers how to identify a suitable replacement and avoid disruptions to cargo services. "We are working with the relevant authorities to immediately review and tighten cargo-control vulnerabilities, chain-of-custody procedures, screening protocols, and internal safeguards at the Roberts International Airport and across the cargo-handling system," IG Coleman said Saturday.

That process could take days, weeks, or even months, depending on how seriously the government intends to address a matter that has become a national debacle, threatens to stain Liberia's image, and has pushed the country closer to what many fear could become a narco-state label.