By Kruah Thompson
MONROVIA, July 16, 2026; The Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) Secretary General, Jefferson T. Koijee has petitioned the United States Embassy in Monrovia, requesting support for an independent international investigation into Liberia’s reported US$19 million cocaine trafficking case, arguing that the country’s institutions lack the independence to conduct a credible probe.
The request was contained in a letter dated July 15 and addressed to U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Joseph Zadrozny Embassy of the United States of America, 502 Benson Street, Mamba Point, Monrovia, Liberia.
In the letter, Koijee alleged political interference in the ongoing investigation and questioned the independence of Liberia’s security institutions.
Koijee wrote that he considered it his civic responsibility to communicate concerns about the case.
He cited his background in national security and intelligence as strengthening his understanding of the potential threats posed by criminal networks. Koijee said his concerns were based on his professional perspective.
According to him, the circumstances surrounding the case raise legitimate national security and intelligence concerns that require “an independent, credible, and internationally supported investigative response.”
Koijee told the U.S. Embassy that the unresolved reported US$19 million cocaine trafficking case continued to raise concerns about the rule of law, institutional independence, corruption, and Liberia’s commitment to combating transnational organized crime.
He argued that the case represented more than an isolated criminal incident, describing it as a reflection of what he alleged was a broader pattern in which organized criminal networks exploit institutional weaknesses to entrench themselves within the machinery of the state.
He said the United States has been a key partner in supporting Liberia’s governance and security and warned that failure to investigate the cocaine case could threaten both Liberia’s peace and U.S. interests.
He described the case as a test of Liberia’s willingness and capacity to investigate powerful individuals, and said progress in the investigation remains uncertain.
According to Koijee, many Liberians fear that the truth may never be fully established through existing domestic processes because of what he described as a pattern of impunity within the criminal justice system.
He called on the United States and other international partners to support an independent international investigation, saying it would restore public confidence and strengthen accountability.
Koijee also criticized the Liberia National Police’s handling of the reported case, saying the investigation had lacked the transparency and independence required for a matter of such magnitude.
He said repeated public briefings by Police Inspector General Gregory O. W. Coleman had failed to answer key questions about the origin and ownership of the reported cocaine shipment and had instead weakened public confidence in the investigation.
The CDC Secretary-General also alleged that the operational independence of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) had been undermined.
He claimed Inspector General Coleman had exercised undue influence over the appointment and operations of the agency’s current leadership, a situation he argued warranted an independent investigation.
Koijee further alleged that the 2024 removal of former LDEA head Abe Kromah resulted from what he described as a political conspiracy orchestrated by Coleman. He claimed the dismissal enabled the appointment of Fitzgerald T. M. Biago, then Deputy Commissioner of Police, as Officer-in-Charge of the LDEA, thereby consolidating control over the agency.
According to Koijee, the repeated appointment of senior Liberia National Police officers to head the LDEA has blurred the agency’s institutional independence and concentrated undue influence within Liberia’s security sector.
He further claimed that the subsequent exposure of the reported US$19 million cocaine case intensified those concerns and alleged that the leadership changes reflected coordinated efforts to facilitate criminal activity.
Prior to Koijee’s letter and claims, government officials had argued that the investigation was independent and backed by the U.S. Embassy.
They also pointed to the recent meeting between the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires and the Minister of Justice, which several government officials have cited as evidence of the embassy’s support for the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, at the time of publication, there had been no public response from the U.S. Embassy, the Liberia National Police, the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, or the officials named in his letter.
