By Lincoln G. Peters
Capitol Hill, July 8, 2026 — Nimba County Senator Samuel Kogar has questioned how the investigation into the US$19.2 million drug bust at Roberts International Airport shifted from the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency to the Liberia National Police.
In a communication read before Senate plenary on Tuesday, July 7, Kogar said the handling of the case raised concerns and suggested that key details surrounding the investigation remained unclear.
Kogar said drug investigations fall under the primary mandate of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency. He said if the matter was elevated to the level of a national security threat, it should have first drawn the attention of the National Security Council.
He argued that the National Security Council should have convened and appointed a special committee to lead the investigation, but said that did not happen.
“The question of how the investigation left the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency to the Liberia National Police is unanswered,” Kogar said. “It is also important for us to be informed as to which international security entity is helping with the investigation.”
He said President Joseph N. Boakai, as commander-in-chief and head of the National Security Council, should inform the Senate whether he ordered or presided over the appointment of the current investigation board headed by the Liberia National Police.
Kogar compared the current case to the investigation into the burning of the Capitol Building, saying the police, National Fire Service and National Security Agency coordinated in that case and identified suspects within a relatively short period.
He asked why the police and the National Security Agency had not provided call logs for persons of interest in the drug investigation. He urged the Senate Committee on Defense, Intelligence, Security and Veteran Affairs to request the call logs and the formal National Security Council letter appointing the police inspector general to lead the investigation.
Kogar also requested documents related to the reported release of Oscar Browne, the security director for intelligence at Roberts International Airport.
He said the Judiciary or the Ministry of Justice should provide any release order and that Browne’s lawyer should appear before plenary with supporting documents explaining how his client was released.
The Senate has mandated its committees on security and judiciary to investigate the matter and report back to plenary for a decision.
