The high impact of illicit drugs on the Liberian society requires the collective efforts of the joint security, the intelligence gathering from community dwellers, and civil society.
Recently, following careful intelligence in the Brewerville community, a joint security operation was conducted by the LDEA and the Liberia National Police, which led to the discovery of a huge quantity of drugs in a building.
The current head of the interim team at the Liberian Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Fitzgerald Biago, has disclosed that the recent drug bust in Brewerville on the outskirts of Monrovia is worth US$146,000.
"On September 18, 2025, following a carefully coordinated intelligence, the LDEA confiscated 1,929 kilograms of compressed marijuana in Brewerville," Biago told journalists at the press conference on Monday.
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During the operation, Biago said two suspects, Umar Mohammed, a Nigerian aged 38 known as 'Degote', a drug trafficker within the West African region, was arrested along with Abdullah Kamara, a Sierra Leonean aged 18.
Fitzgerald Biago, the head of the interim team at the Liberian Drug Enforcement Agency Photo Zeze Ballah/Crime Watch Liberia
According to him, the seizure of the drug has an estimated street value of L$27,850.760, equivalent to US$146,604, adding "the operation marks a major victory in the country's fight against drug trafficking, and it is a clear message that Liberia will not be a haven for drug traffickers who engage in the illegal trade".
He added that both suspects are currently in the custody of the LDEA, undergoing a thorough investigation stressing "the investigation is trying to establish which route (border or water) the suspects used to bring the drug into the country".
Following the conclusion of the investigation, Biago mentioned that the suspects will be appropriately charged and forwarded to court for prosecution.
(L-R) Abdullah Kamara, a Sierra Leonean and Umar Mohammed, a Nigerian
Moving forward, the head of the interim team at the LDEA said the agency continues to make strategic arrests and confiscations as part of the ongoing nationwide operations, noting "the agency is intensifying its collaboration with communities, civil society organizations, and its international partners to dismantle drug operations and networks".
Since he and others' appointment by President Joseph Boakai on Thursday, August 28, 2025, Biago emphasized that they have committed themselves to redefining the operational scope of the agency. This, he said, includes a comprehensive review of internal protocols and procedures to ensure that the LDEA becomes more professional, transparent, and accountable.
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As part of the reform efforts, Biago said the agency has withdrawn all LDEA personnel assigned to the Roberts International Airport due to concerns of misconduct adding "out of eight officers recalled, two are currently under investigation for underreporting the quantity of narcotics confiscated during a recent airport seizure".
"The LDEA will not tolerate any acts of corruption, negligence, or action that undermine the integrity of the agency," the current head of the interim team at LDEA maintained.
As previously announced, Biago said the agency has continued to implement a mandatory drug testing policy for all employees, adding "the drug testing process for LDEA employees in Montserrado and Bomi counties has been completed.
However, Biago said it is with disappointment that the agency informs the public that five volunteer officers and one employee of the LDEA assigned in Bomi tested positive for illicit drugs.
Several officers in Bomi who tested positive for illicit drugs Photo Zeze Ballah/Crime Watch Liberia
Several officers in Bomi who tested positive for illicit drugs Photo Zeze Ballah/Crime Watch Liberia
He named the officers as Larwou Yekeh, C. Tony Granett, Nyumah Millimono, Lawrence J. Fejue, Milton Berh, and Roosevelt T. Kollie stressing "the officers have been discharged from all the services of the LDEA with immediate effect.
