MONROVIA – A Kenyan national, Larnard Bonancy Arondo, has been found guilty on all three counts of importation of drugs, criminal conspiracy, and facilitation following her attempt to smuggle heroin worth USD 388,890 through Roberts International Airport (RIA) earlier this year. The verdict, delivered Saturday, September 6, 2025, was secured by the Ministry of Justice prosecution team in collaboration with the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), according to a press release signed by G. Olando Demey, Chief of Public Relations at LDEA. The defendant has been given four days to respond.
Arondo was intercepted on February 1, 2025, at RIA after arriving on Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET-933 from Thailand. During a routine security search, authorities discovered 8.642 kilograms of heroin in her possession. She was arrested alongside Abel S. Gbedia, a Liberian national.
The LDEA described the conviction as a major success in the fight against drug trafficking in Liberia. “This outcome reflects the dedication of our men and women to ensuring that all drug-related cases, past and present, are thoroughly pursued to guarantee justice is served,” the agency stated in its release.
The verdict comes in the wake of the nationwide “Say No to Drugs” campaign held on August 7, 2025, which heightened public awareness about the dangers of drug abuse and increased pressure on the government to take decisive action against traffickers.
Interim management at LDEA, led by DCP Fitzgerald T.M. Biago of the Liberia National Police as Officer-in-Charge, along with Mr. Ernest T. Tarpeh, Assistant Director for Special Services at the NSA serving as Deputy for Administration/Investigation, and ACP Patrick B. Kormazu of the LNP serving as Deputy for Operations, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. They said it demonstrates the agency’s commitment to combating drug-related crimes and protecting Liberian communities from the consequences of illicit drug trafficking.
The conviction of Arondo is being welcomed by many Liberians whose families have suffered the effects of drug trafficking, with authorities emphasizing that this case sends a strong signal to would-be traffickers that Liberia will rigorously enforce its drug laws.
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