Monrovia – The Liberian government has pushed back against a report published alleging that confidential intelligence documents warned top officials months before the country’s largest cocaine seizure that Liberia was at risk of becoming a “narco-state” and that significant smuggling and revenue leakage vulnerabilities existed at Roberts International Airport (RIA).
By Gerald C. Koinyeneh, gerald.koinyeneh@frontpageafricaonline.com
The denial follows the release of two confidential reports publication of a confidential report. One report allegedly warned President Joseph Nyuma Boakai of deep drug cartel infiltration and growing narcotics trafficking networks in Liberia, while another reportedly highlighted smuggling schemes, customs weaknesses, and revenue leakages at RIA.
According to the document, intelligence assessments concluded that drug trafficking networks had allegedly penetrated key security institutions, particularly the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), creating vulnerabilities that traffickers were exploiting to move narcotics through Liberia’s ports, airport, and border crossings.
The report warns that Liberia faces “a worsening drug crisis that threatens to destabilize national security, public health, and the country’s international reputation.”
It further cautions that without decisive intervention, the country risks international sanctions, withdrawal of foreign assistance, increased violent crime, and deeper entrenchment of criminal networks within state institutions.
“Mr. President, the integrity of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency is at its lowest point in national history. Decisive, visible, and internationally supported action, such as K9 procurement, is essential to safeguard Liberia’s sovereignty, protect public health, and restore credibility with our regional and global partners.”
Alarming Claims of Institutional Compromise
Among the report’s most explosive allegations is the claim that a significant portion of LDEA personnel were either compromised or maintained close relationships with drug dealers.
However, in a statement, Presidential Press Secretary Kula V. Fofana denied that President Boakai ever received the alleged intelligence report warning that Liberia risked becoming a narco-state.
“The Presidency wishes to state unequivocally that President Boakai did not receive, and has not received to date, any such purported report referenced by the newspaper,” Fofana said.
“Any suggestion that such a document was submitted to the President and ignored is false, misleading, and entirely without factual basis.”
Fofana said the Boakai Administration has consistently demonstrated through both policy and action that combating illicit drugs remains one of its foremost national security priorities. Since assuming office, President Boakai has taken decisive measures to strengthen Liberia’s response to narcotics trafficking and substance abuse.
Among these actions, the President voluntarily subjected himself to a public drug test as a demonstration of transparency, accountability, and his commitment to leading by example. He subsequently encouraged officials of Government to do likewise as part of a broader effort to promote integrity and public confidence.
Also, a second confidential intelligence report suggests that the head of Liberia Revenue Authority, James Dorbor Jallah was warned months before the US$19 million cocaine seizure at Roberts International Airport (RIA) about vulnerabilities in the country’s borders, customs operations, and revenue collection systems.
The document, whose authenticity is also being disputed by government officials and investigators, highlighted concerns over smuggling activities, revenue leakages, weak cargo monitoring mechanisms, and potential exploitation of security gaps at Liberia’s main international gateway.
The report allegedly submitted to LRA Commissioner General Jallah on January 6, 2026. It recommended specific steps, including reviewing cargo records, auditing customs payments, tracing suspicious consignments, and examining surveillance footage from GLS Menzies’ warehouse.
Speaking to FrontPage Africa, Jallah distanced himself from the report, stating that he had never seen it before and doubted that he authored or endorsed its contents.
“I just scanned through the document and there is no way I could have written that because I’ve not been privy to the underlying intelligence. This is the first time I’m seeing this report,” Jallah said.
His remarks raise fresh questions about the origin of the document and whether it was part of an official intelligence-sharing process within government.
The controversy deepened after a member of a Joint Investigative Team familiar with ongoing probes into drug trafficking allegations dismissed the document as unauthentic.
The investigator, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, alleged that the report did not originate from the official channels through which intelligence reports are typically transmitted to the President.
“There was no report from former LDEA leadership. LDEA don’t submit straight to the President, rather through the Ministry of Justice,” the investigator said.
The source further claimed that portions of the document may have been assembled from previously existing reports.
“Some individuals from the former LDEA leadership cut and pasted from different reports, using the new leadership pictures that took over in September 2025. Someone sitting in the United States is misleading the President and claiming he is aware?” the investigator added.
The controversy comes amid heightened public concern following the seizure of approximately 238 kilograms of cocaine valued at more than US$19 million at Roberts International Airport. The case has triggered investigations, arrests, and growing questions about the extent of organized drug trafficking operations within Liberia.
Despite the government’s denial, observers say the emergence of the reports has intensified scrutiny of Liberia’s security architecture at a time when authorities are already grappling with the fallout from the multimillion-dollar cocaine case. The reports also come against the backdrop of increasing regional concerns over West Africa’s growing role as a transit corridor for international drug trafficking organizations.
Critics argue that regardless of whether the specific reports are authentic, many of the risks outlined—including weak border controls, corruption vulnerabilities, and inadequate cargo screening systems—have long been cited by international organizations and security experts as factors contributing to the region’s exposure to transnational organized crime.
For the Boakai administration, the dispute now extends beyond the cocaine investigation itself. It has evolved into a debate over intelligence gathering, information sharing, and whether early warning signs about drug trafficking and smuggling threats were adequately identified and acted upon before the record cocaine seizure brought the issue to national attention.
