07/07/2026
Joint Statement by Sen. Edwin Melvin Snowe, Jr., and Sen. Amara M. Konneh on Recent Charges Brought Against Five Individuals in the Co***ne Bust at the Roberts International Airport in Liberia.
The seizure of approximately 237.6 kilograms of co***ne at Roberts International Airport underscores a grave threat to Liberia’s national security. It exposes serious concerns regarding the country’s rule of law, border security, and public safety.
We commend the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), the Liberia National Police (LNP), and all supporting Joint Security agencies for their coordinated efforts in intercepting this shipment before it could cause further harm to our communities and damage Liberia’s international reputation.
We also commend Inspector General of Police Gregory O.W. Coleman, the Liberia National Police, and the broader Joint Security Team for bringing charges against five individuals allegedly connected to the reported US$19.2 million co***ne trafficking case: Michael U.S. Browne, also known as Rahim or Raheem Bah; Paul J. King; Oscar Browne; Emmanuel Kpah; and Usman Ali. According to the Liberia National Police, these individuals have been linked to this serious criminal enterprise.
However, the circumstances surrounding this investigation raise troubling questions that deserve clear and credible answers.
According to information released by the authorities, two persons of interest, Oscar Browne and Paul J. King were outside Liberia when the investigation commenced and were subsequently declared suspects. At the same time, it has been alleged that Michael U.S. Browne and Emmanuel Kpah were present in Liberia during the early stages of the investigation yet the authorities told the world that naming “persons of interest” would compromise the investigation but made up to believe that they were in control of the situation. If this was accurate, it raises an obvious question: how were these suspects able to evade arrest?
The Liberian people deserve full transparency regarding whether these individuals were under surveillance, whether operational failures allowed them to escape, or whether other circumstances contributed to their departure from Liberia’s jurisdiction.
Simply put, drugs worth approximately US$19.2 million reportedly entered Liberia and were on the verge of being exported through the country’s only international airport. Yet, despite the magnitude of this case, no persons of interest that the authorities knew but could not name and off course no suspect appears to have been physically arrested by national security agencies, even though the Officer-in-Charge of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency publicly informed the nation that there were persons of interest in custody.
According to official statements, the only individual currently in custody who was sent to court yesterday is the suspect who voluntarily boarded a flight, returned to Liberia, and surrendered to national security authorities upon his arrival at Roberts International Airport.
If these are indeed the facts, they raise serious questions about the effectiveness of our security institutions and our commitment to combating transnational organized crime.
How is it possible that a co***ne shipment valued at US$19.2 million could be intercepted without a single suspect being apprehended by our security forces before leaving the country?
Are we truly serious about enforcing the law and expecting the international community to take Liberia seriously in the fight against organized crime?
Furthermore, while we acknowledge the efforts made thus far, the investigation must not end with those allegedly connected to the attempted exportation of the co***ne. Equal attention must now be devoted to uncovering the entire criminal network behind this operation.
Critical questions remain unanswered:
• Who financed the importation of these drugs?
• How did the co***ne enter Liberia by air, sea, or land?
• Where was it stored, concealed, or repackaged before being transported to the airport?
• Who coordinated the logistics of this operation?
• Which financial institutions or other entities, if any, were used to launder the proceeds?
• Who are the additional local and international collaborators?
• Were any public officials or state security personnel involved, either directly or indirectly?
* How did the investigation exonerate Emmanuel Zeon, (the drugs transporter)?
* How did the investigation exonerate Ruth Gbapaywhea, a screener at RIA who allowed suspicious package to pass for security clearance.
The Liberian people deserve answers to these questions.
Drug trafficking poses a direct threat to our youth, our families, our institutions, and our national security. Given the scale of this seizure and its apparent international dimensions, this matter demands a comprehensive, impartial, and evidence based investigation that follows every lead, regardless of where it may lead.
Accordingly, we call for an independent investigation conducted with the full cooperation and technical support of Liberia’s international partners to ensure that every individual responsible from financiers and importers to traffickers, facilitators, and any public officials who may have aided this criminal enterprise is identified, investigated, and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
The Liberian people deserve nothing less than the full truth, complete accountability, and justice.
We demand an answer!
