By Edwin N. Khakie
MONROVIA, Liberia, July 24, 2026 — Former Liberia Immigration Service Commissioner-General Steve H. Zargo has called for intelligence-led, house-to-house searches in Monrovia following the seizure of cocaine reportedly valued at more than US$317 million in Duazon, Margibi County.
Zargo said the discovery raises serious national security concerns and requires an expanded investigation to determine how such a large quantity of suspected narcotics entered Liberia and was allegedly stored in a residential community without detection.
He urged investigators to question security personnel assigned in and around the area, saying possible intelligence failures or insider involvement should not be ruled out.
According to Zargo, the circumstances surrounding the seizure demand more than routine police action and should prompt a comprehensive review of Liberia’s drug-interdiction and intelligence-gathering systems.
He warned that Liberia risks becoming a transit hub for international drug trafficking unless the government strengthens border security, domestic surveillance and cooperation among security agencies.
Zargo called on authorities to identify everyone connected to the shipment, regardless of their social, political or economic status. He said drug trafficking threatens Liberia’s national security, public health and young people.
The former immigration chief also urged investigators to examine individuals and institutions that may have knowingly or unknowingly facilitated the transportation or storage of the drugs.
He said accountability should extend beyond those arrested at the scene if authorities are to dismantle any wider trafficking network operating in the country.
Zargo maintained that lawful and intelligence-driven searches in high-risk communities could uncover additional contraband and deter traffickers from using residential properties as storage facilities.
However, he stressed that any search operation must comply with the law and respect citizens’ constitutional rights.
The Duazon seizure has renewed public concern about drug trafficking in Liberia and prompted calls for stronger enforcement of the country’s anti-narcotics laws.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the shipment as the public awaits the identification and prosecution of all those allegedly connected to the case.
