Washington – Liberia and Sierra Leone share strategic border points, key for trade, travel and essential cross-border cooperation that provides significant economic, environmental, and security benefits driven by regional integration and infrastructure development. Of late, however, the two neighbors have been engulfed in a narcotics dilemma; many fear that, if left unchecked could rock the foundation of ordinary life from residents of both countries.
By Rodney D. Sieh, rodney.sieh@frontpageafricaonline.com
Over the past few months, both countries have been at the center of major drug trafficking operations that have drawn international attention.
A Tale of Two Vulnerable Countries
In October 2022, a record-breaking US$100 million drug bust rattled Liberia. Authorities, acting on intelligence from U.S. security agencies, intercepted a massive shipment of 520 kilograms of pure cocaine concealed in a suburb of the capital, Monrovia.
The high-profile operation made significant global headlines for its scale—equaling nearly one-fifth of Liberia’s national budget at the time. Despite the massive initial seizure, the case eventually collapsed.
In May 2023, a unanimous jury verdict in Liberia’s Criminal Court “C” acquitted the four defendants of all charges, ordering the return of $200,000 in confiscated cash. The controversial ruling sparked immense public outcry and drew public concern from U.S. officials regarding the signal it sends to transnational criminal cartels.
Hours after being acquitted and released, the defendants fled the country, deepening the political and legal fallout
Four years later, on June 8, 2026, joint security forces intercepted a record $19.2 million cocaine shipment at the Roberts International Airport (RIA). The massive drug bust was made during an intelligence-led operation, uncovering approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine concealed in cargo boxes
The shipment was allegedly being prepared for export to Europe via a Brussels Airlines flight.
In next-door Sierra Leone, a vessel was apprehended in international waters off the West African coast on May 1 by Spain’s Civil Guard. On board, officers found more than 30 tons of cocaine worth over $954 million, and arrested 23 people including Dutch, Surinamese and Philippine nationals.
Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska described the bust was “one of the biggest, not only nationally but internationally.”
The cargo ship, called the Arconian, had set out from the Sierra Leonean capital of Freetown, according to a Spanish court document.
While officials have not publicly said who they suspect was behind the cocaine shipment, the presence of Dutch fugitive Jos” Leijdekkers in Sierra Leone has put the Western Africa subregion on edge.
Leijdekkers Presence Raising Eyebrows
Concerns about Leijdekkers’ presence in a region that has experienced multiple civil conflicts in recent years is a major red flag for many western diplomats.
Multiple media outlets report that Spanish law enforcement believe that the drug bust in Sierra Leone was organized by Leijdekkers, who is on the European Union’s most wanted list of fugitives and has a base in Sierra Leone, protected by the government of President Maada Bio. “He is the one who [allegedly] set up the operation,” Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Remacha, head of the Civil Guard’s anti-drug trafficking department, said recently. “He had those 30 tons stored in Sierra Leone, and he organized the transport and supplied the drugs,” Remacha alleged in an interview with OCCRP.
The Spanish court document does not list Leijdekkers among those charged in the case.
Dutch authorities are offering a reward of 200,000 euros ($232,208) for tips leading to Leijdekkers’ arrest. A Netherlands court sentenced him in absentia in 2024 to 24 years in prison for drug trafficking, armed robbery, and ordering murder.
Both drug busts in Sierra Leone and Liberia in recent months have reignited nationwide debates about corruption and both countries’ growing vulnerability as a trans-shipment hub for transnational drug cartels.
Sanctions for SL, Caution for Liberia
Following the latest drug bust in Sierra Leone, the European Union embarked on a new campaign for European Union sanctions against President Julius Maada Bio’s government in Freetown.
Western diplomats say the threat of sanctions against Bio’s government is likely to pose dangers for the Boakai administration in Liberia if it fails to handle recent narcotics revelations with transparency and accountability.
In recent years, the EU has prioritized the transformation of key value chains in agriculture, fisheries, and forestry to boost productivity, create jobs, and strengthen economic resilience, while conserving Liberia’s vast natural resources, a collaboration which aligns with Liberia’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, the EU’s Green Deal and the Global Gateway strategy.
The EU has allocated EUR 289 million in grant funding for our partnership with Liberia over the period 2021-2027. The country has also benefited from various EU multi-country and globally supported initiatives. Additionally, the EU is involved in direct budget support to Liberia, committing $62 million in budget support to boost economic reforms, strengthen governance, and improve public finance management.
In Sierra Leone, the EU has also been a major development partner, allocating €352 million in grant funding under its 2021–2027 budget framework to support democratic governance, the green economy, and human development. However, this aid is currently under intense political review due to transnational organized crime and drug smuggling concerns
That scrutiny is largely based on the presence of Leijdekkers in Sierra Leone. The Dutch fugitive’s presence there has created fears for Liberia.
Strains for EU in Liberia, Sierra Leone
Despite the pressure, Sierra Leone has been defiant with Chief Minister David Sengeh recently dismissing the Dutch pressure over Leijdekkers as ‘bullying’.
Africa Confidential reported last week that the recent drug bust in Sierra Leone has escalated the rumbling confrontation between the European Union and President Bio’s government in Sierra Leone. If not resolved, the clash could mean Freetown will forfeit tens of millions of euros of development funding and face other regulatory penalties.
Similarly, in Liberia, tension with the EU senior diplomat recently led to her ouster from the country by the Boakai administration.
In recent days, the Liberian government formally requested that the European Union recall and replace its Ambassador to Liberia, Nona Deprez, over alleged derogatory remarks regarding the country’s leadership and economy. While authorities stopped short of declaring her persona non grata, they requested her immediate replacement.
The government claims that Deprez allegedly claimed the Liberian Vice President was overreaching in the mining and energy sectors and reportedly made disparaging remarks predicting the business forum would be the “first and last of its kind”. Rather than pursuing a formal diplomatic expulsion (persona non grata), the Boakai administration requested a recall for consultations and a new representative in order to preserve the broader partnership between Liberia and the EU.
While the situation between the two countries’ strains with the EU may be a bit different, the lingering issues and vulnerabilities the threats pose in both countries is real.
The fact of the matter is, Liberia is experiencing an unprecedented drug epidemic, deeply intertwined with the generational trauma of two brutal civil wars. An estimated 20% to 25% of the country’s youth struggle with substance abuse, primarily driven by the consumption of a highly toxic and cheap synthetic drug known as “kush.”
Even more troubling is the fact that very little is being done to curb the widespread of drugs and bring perpetrators and drug pushers to justice.
In Liberia, the government is coming under increased pressure to bring those linked to the recent US$19 million drug bust to book.
‘Persons-of-Interest Finally Identified
Last Friday, Attorney General and Minister of Justice Cllr. N. Oswald Tweh, speaking on behalf of the Joint National Security Investigative Task Force, revealed that ongoing interviews and evidence gathering have generated significant leads pointing to a complex criminal operation involving multiple actors within Liberia’s cargo-handling and airport security systems.
The minister went on to identify several persons of interest based on evidence collected so far. The include: Philip Yeoh, Security Manager, GLS Menzies, Roberts International Airport; Festus S. Musa, Cargo Handler, GLS Menzies; Ruth Gbapaywhea, RIA Scanner Agent; Archie Nyanfor, Cargo Handler, Express Handling Services (EHS); Arthur B. Abdullai, Chief Executive Officer of Express Handling Services; Geraldine Zeon, RIA Scanner Agent; Mohammed Gbowrah, Security Director, Roberts International Airport; Paul J. King, Chief Executive Officer of GLS Menzies, currently at large; Oscar Browne, Chief of Intelligence for RIA Security, currently at large; and Emmanuel T. Zeon, Transporter for Express Handling Services, currently at large.
Authorities emphasized that being designated a Person of Interest does not imply guilt but indicates that investigators have identified information requiring further examination. “The designation of an individual as a Person of Interest does not constitute a determination of guilt,” Tweh stressed. “Every individual remains entitled to the constitutional protections guaranteed under the laws of the Republic of Liberia.”
For the immediate future, many Liberians are baffled that the government has not zoomed in on senior officials in the government believed to be involved, a decision that could come back to haunt the Boakai administration if international stakeholders like the EU are unconvinced about the government’s ability to carry out an impartial investigation into a saga, which like Sierra Leone could prove detrimental to Liberia’s long-term economic and political survival.
