Paynesville City – Liberia’s Joint Security on Wednesday sealed off the Private Bar Entertainment Center in Paynesville, closing the establishment to the public as its owner, George Leroy Harris, came under investigation in connection with one of the country’s largest cocaine trafficking cases.
By Jaheim T. Tumu, jaheim.tumu@frontpageafricaonline.com
The operation, conducted in the Joe Bar Community, followed Harris being identified by investigators as a suspect in the July 21 seizure of 3,971 kilograms (8,754 lbs.) of cocaine valued at an estimated US$317 million. The drugs were intercepted in Duazon near Roberts International Airport.
The closure came less than 24 hours after authorities publicly linked Harris to the case. Journalists arriving at the scene found heavily armed security officers blocking access to the premises while investigators searched the property.
The operation contrasted sharply with the July 21 raid in the VOA Community, where authorities arrested two foreign nationals and allowed journalists considerably closer access to observe developments.
Investigators spent several hours searching the entertainment center, questioning employees and examining documents whose relevance to the investigation was not disclosed.
Security officers, acting on instructions from a senior female officer of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), ordered reporters to remain at a distance, prompting renewed questions about transparency surrounding the high-profile investigation.
As the search continued, workers moved chairs, tables, and crates of Guinness and other beverages inside the building. The bar—popular for its nightlife and gaming activities—remained under security guard after the operation. However, authorities declined to explain the legal basis for shutting down the business or confirm whether investigators had obtained a court-issued search warrant.
Police also did not disclose whether Harris had been arrested, leaving uncertainty over his legal status even as his business remained closed.
The lack of official information has fueled public speculation. Some observers questioned why authorities waited nearly a day after publicly identifying Harris as a suspect before taking action against his business, while others argued that the limited information provided to the media risks undermining public confidence in the government’s campaign against narcotics trafficking.
How Did Private Bar Become Connected?
At the center of the investigation is Harris, proprietor of the Private Bar Entertainment Center in Paynesville—a venue more commonly associated with nightlife than with an international cocaine trafficking investigation.
According to prosecutors, Harris contacted several security and law enforcement officials in the hours following the seizure, allegedly attempting to facilitate the release of the cocaine shipment. Investigators further allege that he offered substantial sums of money to influence the outcome of the case.
He now faces an array of serious charges, including drug trafficking, money laundering, economic sabotage, unlicensed importation and possession of illicit drugs, criminal conspiracy, criminal facilitation, and criminal solicitation.
What investigators have yet to publicly explain is how the entertainment center allegedly fits into a sophisticated international drug trafficking operation that routed cocaine through Roberts International Airport. Authorities have not disclosed whether the establishment allegedly served as a meeting point, a financial conduit, or played another role in the operation.
What is evident from the breadth of the charges, however, is that prosecutors believe Harris’s alleged involvement extended beyond simply owning a business. Their case suggests they view him as someone who allegedly facilitated financial transactions and coordinated contacts central to the operation, rather than as an incidental bystander.
