In Liberia, suspects were detained in the case of the largest shipment of cocaine disguised as Maggi bouillon cubes

Liberian authorities have charged five suspects in connection with one of the largest drug seizures in the country’s history. Police found more than 200 kilograms of cocaine disguised as Maggi seasoning cubes, The Guardian reports.

The shipment, worth about $19 million, was discovered on June 8 at the international airport in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. The names of the suspects were disclosed only several weeks later, during a special briefing held over the weekend.

“This was a serious international cocaine smuggling operation in which Liberia’s aviation and logistics system was used as a channel for organized crime,” said Inspector General of Police Gregory Coleman. According to him, investigators also found evidence linking this shipment to a similar consignment processed in May.

After the drugs were discovered, a public scandal erupted in the country. Liberian President Joseph Boakai ordered a joint investigation by the police and the national drug enforcement agency, stating that Liberia would not become a “safe haven, transit point, warehouse, financial center, or operational base” for international drug networks.

The delay in publishing the suspects’ names caused discontent in parliament. Coleman was summoned to a special Senate session, and the lack of information gave rise to speculation about possible interference in the investigation aimed at protecting influential figures.

Later, the police chief said the investigation had uncovered signs of possible involvement by the logistics company responsible for transporting the cargo. The suspects have been charged with transportation, storage, and illegal trafficking of controlled substances, as well as criminal conspiracy.

The main suspect — the company’s operations manager — is already in custody in Monrovia. Arrest warrants will be issued for the others, who remain at large, in cooperation with Interpol. Another suspect, who was reportedly attending an event in China at the time the shipment was discovered, has still not returned to Liberia. Prosecutors also released the British phone number of one suspect living in the United Kingdom and his address in Birmingham.

This case has once again drawn attention to West Africa, which, due to weak control over land and sea borders, is increasingly seen as an important transit region for moving drugs between South America and Europe.

In October 2022, Liberian authorities intercepted a container carrying 520 kilograms of cocaine worth about $100 million at the port of Monrovia. One of the suspects named in the current investigation had previously been released from prison after being detained in another drug-related case in 2024.

Neighboring Sierra Leone has also come under the spotlight of international law enforcement: an investigation showed that one of Europe’s most wanted drug traffickers had been in the country’s capital, Freetown, since 2022.

In May, Spanish law enforcement authorities, together with their American and Dutch counterparts, seized 45 tons of cocaine worth about €812 million. A court in Madrid called the operation the largest cocaine seizure in Europe’s history. According to investigators, the vessel flying the Comoros flag, detained off the Canary Islands, had departed from Freetown and was officially bound for Libya. Another shipment of drugs sent from Freetown was intercepted on its way to Spain in February.