Liberian Vice President Jeremiah Koung praised security forces for the operation and said whoever is found guilty “will feel the full weight of the law, regardless of who they are.”

Operation Duazon follows the interception of six boxes of cargo at Roberts International Airport last month after security officers detected irregularities during screening.

According to investigators, the shipment, which allegedly contained food condiments and textiles, was found to contain nearly 200 compressed bricks of cocaine intended for export.

The airport seizure sparked a political controversy after critics accused authorities of acting too slowly to identify suspects, raising concerns that some people linked to the case had left the country before arrests could be made.

President Joseph Boakai subsequently ordered a joint investigation involving the police and the Liberia Anti-Drug Agency (LDEA).

Several suspects have since been charged and international arrest warrants are being processed for others who are still at large.

International law enforcement agencies have long considered West Africa a key transit route for cocaine trafficked from South America to Europe, taking advantage of porous borders and weak law enforcement in some parts of the region.

According to the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, at least 30% of cocaine destined for Europe now passes through the region, while local consumption of cocaine, including crack, has also been increasing.

The organization says cocaine seizures in West Africa have increased steadily since 2019, reaching around 30 tonnes in 2025.

The UN has also warned of the growing threat posed by drug trafficking networks in the region, stating that “the increasingly sophisticated operations launched by drug cartels are a matter of grave concern.”

Liberia has experienced several high-profile drug seizures in recent years, including a haul of 520kg of cocaine intercepted at the Monrovia seaport in 2022.

Since taking office in 2024, President Boakai has reshuffled the leadership of Liberia’s anti-drug agency several times, as his government faces increasing pressure to address the problem.